Assessing Online Cancer Resources for Older Minority Men
Author Information
Author(s): Friedman Daniela B, Kao Elaine K
Primary Institution: University of South Carolina
Hypothesis
The study aims to evaluate the readability and cultural sensitivity of online prostate cancer prevention resources intended for older minority men.
Conclusion
Online cancer resources are targeting appropriate age groups, but they require high-level reading skills and lack cultural sensitivity, making them unsuitable for diverse users.
Supporting Evidence
- Mean readability of web pages was Grade 12.90 using SMOG and Grade 11.20 according to Flesch-Kincaid.
- 75% of culturally sensitive pages did not portray images of representative racial or ethnic individuals.
- 36 out of 70 web pages were classified as culturally sensitive.
Takeaway
This study looked at websites about prostate cancer for older men and found that they are hard to read and not very culturally sensitive, which makes it tough for some people to understand them.
Methodology
The study analyzed 70 websites for readability using SMOG, Flesch-Kincaid, and Flesch Reading Ease measures, and assessed cultural sensitivity using the Cultural Sensitivity Assessment Tool.
Potential Biases
The cultural sensitivity assessment may rate generic cancer articles as culturally sensitive even if they are not tailored to specific minority groups.
Limitations
The study only included 70 websites and used readability tools that have limitations; the cultural sensitivity assessment tool has not been validated in the literature.
Participant Demographics
The study focused on online resources intended for older minority men, particularly African Americans.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Confidence Interval
95% CI
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
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