Readability of Literature for Patients with Cancer

It is possible that literature informing patients about cancer may be written at a reading level that is too high for the intended audience. The following data represent the reading abilities of 63 patients with cancer who were treated at the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center (PVAMC), and the readability levels of 30 booklets available at the PVAMC that were intended to inform patients about cancer. Both variables are reported in Grade Level units. For patient reading ability levels, grade level "2" represents "Below third grade" and grade level "13" represents "Above high school."

Patient Reading Ability Levels (n=63)           Booklet Readability Levels (n=30)

 2  2  2  2  2  2  3  3  3  3                   6  6  6  7  7  7  8  8  8  8 
 4  4  4  4  5  5  5  6  6  6                   8  8  8  8  9  9  9  9 10 11 
 7  7  8  8  8  8  8  8  9  9                  12 12 12 12 13 13 14 15 15 16
 9  9  9 10 10 10 10 11 11 11 
11 11 11 11 12 12 13 13 13 13 
13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 
13 13 13

Research Question

Are patient reading abilities consistent with the readability levels required to comprehend written literature about cancer?