Oral cancer educational materials for the general public: 1998

Objectives: Previous studies have shown that US adults are not well informe d about oral cancers and only 15 percent ever have had an oral cancer exami nation. This study sought to determine the quantity and adequacy of educati onal materials designed to inform or educate US adults about risks for, and signs and symptoms of, oral cancer and the need for an oral cancer examina tion. Methods: Letters requesting copies of oral cancer educational materia ls produced by the organization or agency-leaflets, fact sheets, pamphlets, videos, posters--were sent to 172 national and state organizations or agen cies. To determine the adequacy of the items, a previously developed, teste d, and used form based on current science was adapted for this study. In ad dition, the SMOG index was used to determine readability for printed items. Results: Seventy-seven percent or 132 of the selected organizations respon ded to queries. A total of 59 it ems were received that focused on or inclu ded the topic of oral cancer. Twenty of these 59 items focused specifically on oral cancer; the balance, on other topics, but mentioned oral cancer. T he readability ranged from sixth to 13th grade. Conclusions: This study dem onstrates a dearth of educational materials about oral and pharyngeal cance rs; most are written at too high a grade level for the general public. Thes e findings may help to explain why the public is so uninformed about these neoplasms.