Causality Analysis of South Africa Reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Statements and Communication

This paper inspects whether the South Africa Reserve Bank’s (SARB) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) statements trigger have a causality with newspaper reports from the Mail and Guardian between 2010 and 2021. The study examines whether SARB’s post MPC statements’ readability is reciprocated in the subsequent Mail and Guardian newspaper articles. Using the Flesch Reading Ease Score and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level score as the methodology, there is a systematic unpacking of both SARB’s MPC statements and newspaper reports from the Mail and Guardian which yield a dataset which is subsequently used to create a computation. This computation is then used to examine whether SARB’s MPC statements Granger cause the subsequent Mail and Guardian newspaper articles. Resultantly, the results show that there is no Granger causality between the SARB’s MPC statements and the Mail and Guardian’s Flesch Reading Ease Score and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level score.

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How readable and reliable is online patient information on chronic rhinosinusitis?

The Journal of Laryngology & Otology ◽

10.1017/s0022215121001559 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-4

Author(s):

A Habeeb

Keyword(s):

Chronic Rhinosinusitis ◽

Patient Information ◽

Grade Level ◽

Information Quality ◽

Reading Level ◽

Improve Patient Compliance ◽

Flesch Reading Ease ◽

Ease Score ◽

Improve Patient ◽

Average Adult

Abstract Objective This study aimed to assess the quality and readability of websites on chronic rhinosinusitis. Methods A total of 180 results from 3 different search engines regarding ‘chronic rhinosinusitis’, ‘sinusitis’ and ‘sinus infections’ were analysed for readability using the Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level, Flesch Reading Ease Score and Gunning Fog Index. The Discern tool was used to approximate information quality. Results From 180 total searches, 69 unique websites were identified. These had an average Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level of 9.75 (95 per cent confidence interval = 9.12–10.4), a Flesch Reading Ease Score of 45.0 (41.0–49.0) and a Gunning Fog Index of 13.7 (12.9–14.4), which equates to the average reading level of a college or university student. Discern scores were variable but consistently showed good-quality information. Conclusion Chronic rhinosinusitis information is of a high quality but is for a reading level higher than that of the average adult. Standardising patient information should ensure adequate comprehension and improve patient compliance.

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P126 An analysis of the quality and readability of online information for osteoarthritis

Rheumatology ◽

10.1093/rheumatology/keaa111.121 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 59 (Supplement_2) ◽

Author(s):

Kieran Murray ◽

Timothy Murray ◽

Candice Low ◽

Anna O'Rourke ◽

Douglas J Veale

Keyword(s):

Grade Level ◽

English Language ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Scoring Systems ◽

Online Information ◽

Flesch Reading Ease ◽

12Th Grade ◽

8Th Grade ◽

Ease Score

Abstract Background Osteoarthritis is the most common cause of disability in people over 65 years old. The readability of of online osteoarthritis information has never been assessed. A 2003 study found the quality of online osteoarthritis information to be poor. This study reviews the quality of online information regarding osteoarthritis in 2018 using three validated scoring systems. Readability is reviewed for the first time, again using three validated tools. Methods The term osteoarthritis was searched across the three most popular English language search engines. The first 25 pages from each search engine were analysed. Duplicate pages, websites featuring paid advertisements, inaccessible pages (behind a pay wall, not available for geographical reasons) and non-text pages were excluded. Readability was measured using Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES), Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) and Gunning-Fog Index (GFI). Website quality was scored using the the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark criteria and DISCERN criteria. Presence or absence of HONcode certification, age of content, content producer and author characteristics were noted. Results 37 unique websites were suitable for analysis. Readability varied by assessment tool from 8th to 12th grade level. This compares with the recommended 7- 8th grade level. One (2.7%) website met all four JAMA Criteria. Mean DISCERN quality of information for OA websites was “fair”, comparing favourably with the “poor” grading of a 2003 study. HONCode endorsed websites (43.2%) were of a statistically significantly higher quality. Conclusion Quality of online health information for OA is “fair”. 2.7% of websites met JAMA benchmark criteria for quality. Readability was equal to or more difficult than recommendations. HONcode certification was indicative of higher quality, but not readability. Disclosures K. Murray None. T. Murray None. C. Low None. A. O'Rourke None. D.J. Veale None.

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Readability of Printed Patient Information for Epileptic Patients

Annals of Pharmacotherapy ◽

10.1345/aph.1c098 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 36 (12) ◽

pp. 1856-1861 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

David R Foster ◽

Denise H Rhoney

Keyword(s):

Patient Information ◽

Grade Level ◽

Reading Ability ◽

Flesch Reading Ease ◽

Disease States ◽

Written Information ◽

Average Patient ◽

Ease Score ◽

The Mean ◽

Patients With Epilepsy

BACKGROUND: Written information can be a valuable tool in patient education. Studies evaluating written information for various disease states have frequently demonstrated that the majority of literature is written at a readability level that exceeds that of the average patient, and it has been recommended that written communications for adult patients should be provided at a fifth-grade level or lower. OBJECTIVE: To assess the readability of printed patient information available to patients with epilepsy. METHODS: Samples of written patient information (n = 101) were obtained from various sources. The information was classified based on source, content, and intended audience, and readability was assessed using the Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES) and Flesch—Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) score. RESULTS: The mean FRES and FKGL score for all samples were 50.2 and 9.4, respectively. Significant differences were observed in both the FRES and FKGL score of material obtained from different sources; however, no differences were observed when material was analyzed according to content. The mean FRES and FKGL score for materials intended for adults were 49.6 and 9.5, respectively. In comparison, mean FRES and FKGL scores for materials intended for children/adolescents were 78.9 and 5.3, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of information tested was written at a level that exceeds the reading ability of many patients. The information intended for children is actually written at the appropriate level for an adult. Efforts should be taken to develop written teaching tools that target low-level readers, especially for a disease state that affects many children.

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An Analysis of the Readability of Educational Materials on the Consumer Webpage of a Health Professional Organization: Considerations for Practice

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice ◽

10.46743/1540-580x/2011.1360 ◽

2011 ◽

Author(s):

Naudia Falconer ◽

E. Reicherter ◽

Barbara Billek-Sawhney ◽

Steven Chesbro

Keyword(s):

Patient Education ◽

Health Professional ◽

Grade Level ◽

Sixth Grade ◽

Reading Level ◽

Professional Organization ◽

Flesch Reading Ease ◽

Ease Score ◽

Site Evaluation ◽

American Physical

The readability level of many patient education materials is too high for patients to comprehend, placing the patient’s health at risk. Since health professionals often recommend Internet-based patient education resources, they must ensure that the readability of information provided to consumers is at an appropriate level. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the readability of educational brochures found on the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) consumer website. Methods: Fourteen educational brochures on the APTA website in March 2008 were analyzed using the following assessments: Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Flesch Reading Ease, Fry Readability Formula, Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG), Checklist for Patient Education Materials, and Consumer Health Web Site Evaluation Checklist. Results: According to the Flesch-Kincaid and Flesch Reading Ease, over 90% of the brochures were written at greater than a sixth grade level. The mean reading level was grade 10.2 (range = 3.1 to 12) with a Reading Ease score between 31.5 to 79.9. Using the SMOG formula, the brochures had a mean reading level of grade 11.5 (range = 9 to 13). The Fry Readability showed that 85% of the brochures were written higher than a sixth grade level, with a mean reading level of grade 9.5 (range = 6 to 14). Conclusion: Findings suggest that most of the consumer education information available on the website of this health professional organization had readability scores that were too high for average consumers to read.

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Evaluating the readability of marketing research textbooks: an international comparison

Journal of International Education in Business ◽

10.1108/jieb-03-2013-0009 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 47-59 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Adele Berndt ◽

Jane P. Wayland

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

South African ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Marketing Research ◽

Reading Level ◽

Target Audience ◽

Content Type ◽

Flesch Reading Ease ◽

The Usa ◽

Ease Score

Purpose – Locally authored textbooks are used at tertiary South African institutions to assist in marketing research studies. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the readability of locally authored marketing research textbooks in South Africa and compare them with international (USA) texts. Design/methodology/approach – South African marketing research textbooks (authored locally) used at South African institutions were identified. Electronic versions of the textbooks were used and analysed using accepted readability formulae. The same procedure was used with texts produced in the USA and the findings of each were compared. Findings – The South Africa texts scored higher on the Flesch Reading Ease score than US texts, which links to the target audience of these books (undergraduate students), while also being cognisant of the reading skills of the target audience but their score still describes them as “difficult”. Research limitations/implications – The original formulae and theory tend to be dated, though there are recent studies into readability in other areas of business studies. There are also those that question the applicability of readability formulae in the tertiary environment. Practical implications – Instructors need to ensure that material is at a suitable reading level to maximise the student's learning. For publishers and authors, this means that the examples and illustrations used need to be linked to the context in which the student lives and functions, and not just focus on the English used in the text. Originality/value – While studies have been conducted into the readability of US textbooks, there is little published research into the readability of regional marketing research textbooks in other contexts to facilitate comparison.

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Are informed consent forms that describe clinical oncology research protocols readable by most patients and their families?

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.1994.12.10.2211 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 12 (10) ◽

pp. 2211-2215 ◽

Cited By ~ 147

Author(s):

S A Grossman ◽

S Piantadosi ◽

C Covahey

Keyword(s):

Phase I ◽

Clinical Oncology ◽

Grade Level ◽

Cooperative Group ◽

Oncology Group ◽

Consent Forms ◽

Flesch Reading Ease ◽

Ease Score ◽

The Mean ◽

Johns Hopkins Oncology

PURPOSE This study was conducted to assess the readability of informed consent forms that describe clinical oncology protocols. METHODS One hundred thirty-seven consent forms from 88 protocols that accrued patients at The Johns Hopkins Oncology Center were quantitatively analyzed. These included 58 of 99 (59%) institutional protocols approved by The Johns Hopkins Oncology Center's Clinical Research Committee and the Institutional Review Board (IRB) over a 2-year period, and 30 active Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG), Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG), and Pediatric Oncology Group (POG) trials. The consent forms described phase I (17%), phase I/II (36%), phase III (29%), and nontherapeutic (18%) studies. Each was optically scanned, checked for accuracy, and analyzed using readability software. The following three readability indices were obtained for each consent form: the Flesch Reading Ease Score, and grade level readability as determined by the Flesch-Kincaid Formula and the Gunning Fog Index. RESULTS The mean +/- SD Flesch Reading Ease Score for the consent forms was 52.6 +/- 8.7 (range, 33 to 78). The mean grade level was 11.1 +/- 1.67 (range, 6 to 14) using the Flesch-Kincaid Formula and 14.1 +/- 1.8 (range, 8 to 17) using the Gunning Fog Index. Readability at or below an eighth-grade level was found in 6% of the consent forms using the Flesch-Kincaid Formula and in 1% using the Gunning Fog Index. Readability was similar for consent forms that described institutional, cooperative group, and phase I, II, and III protocols. CONCLUSION Consent forms from clinical oncology protocols are written at a level that is difficult for most patients to read, despite national, cooperative group, institutional, and departmental review. The consent process, which is crucial to clinical research, should be strengthened by improving the readability of the consent forms.

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Evaluation of the Inflation Forecasting Process of the Reserve Bank of India: A Text Analysis Approach

10.31124/advance.13148222 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Amrendra Pandey ◽

Jagadish Shettigar ◽

Amarnath Bose

Keyword(s):

Monetary Policy ◽

Policy Framework ◽

Quantitative Methodology ◽

Inflation Forecasts ◽

Inflation Forecasting ◽

Monetary Policy Committee ◽

Reserve Bank ◽

Policy Statements ◽

Economic Reality ◽

Reserve Bank Of India

<div><div><div><p>This study is an attempt to evaluate and interpret the monetary policy statements (MPS) of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for the five year period since it started conducting monetary policy meetings every alter- nate month. An important contribution of this paper is the evaluation of the inflation forecasting path of the RBI using information from the state- ments. Both qualitative and quantitative methodology has been adopted to study and evaluate the MPS. It helps in understanding processes fol- lowed and information considered while making inflation forecasts. The results clearly indicate that though the RBI examined the high frequency economic indicators in their process of assessment and inflation forecast- ing, their inflation forecasts have been below the mark. Similarly, the monetary policy committee (MPC) could not predict the sharp disinfla- tion following demonetization on 8th November, 2016 resulting in higher real interest rate regime. This shows that the monetary policy governance under the new monetary policy framework of the RBI needs to be revisited to align it with the economic reality of India.</p></div></div></div>

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Evaluation of the Inflation Forecasting Process of the Reserve Bank of India: A Text Analysis Approach

10.31124/advance.13148222.v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Amrendra Pandey ◽

Jagadish Shettigar ◽

Amarnath Bose

Keyword(s):

Monetary Policy ◽

Policy Framework ◽

Quantitative Methodology ◽

Inflation Forecasts ◽

Inflation Forecasting ◽

Monetary Policy Committee ◽

Reserve Bank ◽

Policy Statements ◽

Economic Reality ◽

Reserve Bank Of India

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Critical Quality and Readability Analysis of Online Patient Education Materials on Parotidectomy: A Cross-Sectional Study

Annals of Otology Rhinology & Laryngology ◽

10.1177/00034894211066670 ◽

2022 ◽

pp. 000348942110666

Author(s):

Elysia Miriam Grose ◽

Emily YiQin Cheng ◽

Marc Levin ◽

Justine Philteos ◽

Jong Wook Lee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Patient Education ◽

Grade Level ◽

Critical Role ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Online Information ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Flesch Reading Ease ◽

Ease Score ◽

Google Search ◽

Online Patient Education

Purpose: Complications related to parotidectomy can cause significant morbidity, and thus, the decision to pursue this surgery needs to be well-informed. Given that information available online plays a critical role in patient education, this study aimed to evaluate the readability and quality of online patient education materials (PEMs) regarding parotidectomy. Methods: A Google search was performed using the term “parotidectomy” and the first 10 pages of the search were analyzed. Quality and reliability of the online information was assessed using the DISCERN instrument. Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) and Flesch-Reading Ease Score (FRE) were used to evaluate readability. Results: Thirty-five PEMs met the inclusion criteria. The average FRE score was 59.3 and 16 (46%) of the online PEMs had FRE scores below 60 indicating that they were fairly difficult to very difficult to read. The average grade level of the PEMs was above the eighth grade when evaluated with the FKGL. The average DISCERN score was 41.7, which is indicative of fair quality. There were no significant differences between PEMs originating from medical institutions and PEMs originating from other sources in terms of quality or readability. Conclusion: Online PEMs on parotidectomy may not be comprehensible to the average individual. This study highlights the need for the development of more appropriate PEMs to inform patients about parotidectomy.

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Quality, Readability, and Trends for Websites on Ankyloglossia

Annals of Otology Rhinology & Laryngology ◽

10.1177/0003489418776343 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 127 (7) ◽

pp. 439-444 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Nicole Leigh Aaronson ◽

Johnathan Edward Castaño ◽

Jeffrey P. Simons ◽

Noel Jabbour

Keyword(s):

Grade Level ◽

Reading Level ◽

Google Trends ◽

Optimal Range ◽

Flesch Reading Ease ◽

Search Terms ◽

Reading Grade Level ◽

Public Health Information ◽

Ease Score ◽

Readability Formula

Objective: This study evaluates the quality and readability of websites on ankyloglossia, tongue tie, and frenulectomy. Methods: Google was queried with six search terms: tongue tie, tongue tie and breastfeeding, tongue tie and frenulectomy, ankyloglossia, ankyloglossia and breastfeeding, and ankyloglossia and frenulectomy. Website quality was assessed using the DISCERN instrument. Readability was evaluated using the Flesch-Kincaid Reading Grade Level, Flesch Reading Ease Score, and Fry readability formula. Correlations were calculated. Search terms were analyzed for frequency using Google Trends and the NCBI database. Results: Of the maximum of 80, average DISCERN score for the websites was 65.7 (SD = 9.1, median = 65). Mean score for the Flesch-Kincaid Reading Grade Level was 11.6 (SD = 3.0, median = 10.7). Two websites (10%) were in the optimal range of 6 to 8. Google Trends shows tongue tie searches increasing in frequency, although the NCBI database showed a decreased in tongue tie articles. Conclusions: Most of the websites on ankyloglossia were of good quality; however, a majority were above the recommended reading level for public health information. Parents increasingly seek information on ankyloglossia online, while fewer investigators are publishing articles on this topic.

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