Examining Health Literacy and Appropriateness of Commercially Developed Patient Education Materials for Adults Living With Diabetes on the U.S./Mexico Border.

Single rural organization and convenience sample of 132 adults, mostly inpatients and mostly Hispanic, so results may not apply to other settings or groups. Only one commercially produced diabetes document in each language was assessed, because the organization said it provided a single document to patients newly diagnosed or with complications. The study assessed reviewer ratings and recorded health literacy scores, not direct patient comprehension or diabetes outcomes. Health literacy scores came from the electronic health record rather than being collected specifically for this study. Spanish readability required adjustment with the SOL formula because SMOG was developed for English texts.

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest.

Do not conclude that these commercially produced diabetes handouts are effective or appropriate simply because they are available in English and Spanish. The study did not test patient outcomes, and the materials were harder to read than recommended and scored poorly for actionability, especially in Spanish.