Readability of Drug Education Literature

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reactions of college students to two distinct types of drug education pamphlets. One type was a lengthy textbookish pamphlet which, according to an objective analysis, was difficult to read and uninteresting. The other consisted of a packet of four brief, illustrated pamphlets which were simpler and stylistically more interesting. Students given the four pamphlet set rated them as more readable, informative, and worthy of wider distribution than students given the single pamphlet. These results suggest that educators can minimize student rejection of drug education literature by carefully selecting material tailored to their students' preferences and abilities.