The readability and audience acceptance of printed health promotion materials used by environmental health departments.

A significant part of the work of an environmental health professional is the communication of information to clients, customers, and the public in the context of safety and health promotion or as an adjunct to enforcement activities. While a wide range of communication methods are available today, printed material still forms an important aspect of the communications methodology of environmental health departments. This paper raises a number of questions about the effectiveness of environmental health promotion brochures in common use in the United Kingdom and the problems that could arise from simply assuming that the brochures are conveying the intended message to the target audience. Through a series of case studies conducted in environmental health departments, evaluative data on a range of brochures were gathered in two interlinked stages: a readability test and a target-audience questionnaire survey. The sources of the brochures included the central government, charities, trade unions, and commercial enterprises; some brochures were produced "in house." Results indicated a common mismatch between the estimated reading age of the target audience and the reading age determined by the readability test; concern about the efficacy of using commercially sourced brochures carrying advertising that may conflict with advice on other environmental health issues; "in-house" brochures that appeared to optimize self-promotion rather than the conveyance of topic information; ineffective brochures used as an adjunct to enforcement activity; and the possibility that the latter could be introduced as defense evidence in related legal proceedings. Overall, the study showed that a well-structured method for brochure choice and ongoing evaluation are essential tools for environmental health departments seeking to maximize their resources and effectiveness.