Evaluating the Quality and Readability of Online Health Information on Snapping Hip Syndrome: A Cross-Sectional Analysis.

AIM

This study aims to evaluate the quality and readability of online health information related to snapping hip syndrome (SHS).

METHODS

A cross-sectional analysis was conducted by searching the term "Snapping Hip Syndrome" on Google, Bing, and Yahoo. The first 30 results from each search engine were assessed, and duplicate or irrelevant websites were excluded. The remaining 90 unique web pages were categorized into academic, physician, commercial, medical professional, and non-identified groups. Quality was assessed using the DISCERN instrument, Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Benchmark Criteria, and HONcode certification, while readability was evaluated with the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) and Flesch-Kincaid Reading Score (FKRS). The SHS Content Score (SHS-CS) was also developed for a comprehensive content-specific evaluation.

RESULTS

Academic websites had the highest quality scores, with DISCERN (52.10 ± 6.85), JAMA (3.48 ± 0.50), and SHS-CS (27.85 ± 2.15), but demonstrated lower readability (FKGL: 11.76 ± 0.40, FKRS: 21.45 ± 7.12). Commercial and non-identified websites scored lowest across all quality measures. Significant correlations were found between DISCERN and JAMA (r = 0.932, p = 0.000*), SHS-CS and DISCERN (r = 0.918, p = 0.000*), and a negative correlation with readability metrics (DISCERN vs. FKRS, r = -0.668, p = 0.000*).

CONCLUSION

The quality of SHS-related online information varies significantly across website types. While academic websites provide the highest quality content, they often lack readability. HONcode-certified websites exhibited superior quality but did not differ significantly in readability compared to non-certified sites. Future efforts should focus on improving the readability of high-quality health information.