Radioprotection 2025, 60( 1), 109 – 119 © S. Ito et al., Published by EDP Sciences, 2025 https:// doi. org / 10.1051 / radiopro / 2024023 Available online at: www. radioprotection. org
ARTICLE
Evaluating the overall quality of online information on nuclear power plant accidents in Japanese
S. Ito 1,*, E. Furukawa 2, T. Okuhara 2, 3, H. Okada 2, 3 and T. Kiuchi 2, 3
1 Department of Community Nursing and Nursing Systems, Kitasato University, 1-15-1, Kitasato, Minami-ku, Sagamihara-city, Kanagawa, 252-0373 Japan. 2 University hospital Medical Information Network( UMIN) Center, The University of Tokyo Hospital, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo
113-8655, Japan. 3 Department of Health Communication, School of Public Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo,
Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan. Received: 26 April 2024 / Accepted: 20 June 2024
Abstract – Information on professionally produced materials is beyond the reading level of the average adult and is difficult to read and understand. Additionally, the readability of nuclear emergency preparedness manuals in Japan is not clear. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the understandability, actionability, readability, and credibility of nuclear emergency preparedness manuals. A systematic quantitative content analysis of online materials was conducted from November 27 to December 8, 2023. The selection criteria were websites in Japanese related to nuclear disaster prevention and aimed at the general public. The PEMAT-P, jReadability, Journal of the American Medical Association benchmark criteria, and Global Quality Scale were used to evaluate each web page. The number of materials scoring 70 or higher on the PEMAT-P was 71( 61.2 %) for understandability and 57( 49.1 %) for actionability. Regarding the difficulty level of the texts by jReadability,“ Difficult” was the most frequent response with 82 responses( 70.7 %). The JAMA Benchmark Criteria was 35.3 % in 41 materials for attribution, 80.2 % in 93 materials for currency, and a mean GQS of 4.1( SD = 1.0). This study quantitatively evaluated the understandability, actionability, readability, and credibility of nuclear disaster prevention materials for the Japanese public. The findings suggest that text pertaining to nuclear disaster prevention materials may not be easily understood because it is beyond the reading comprehension of the average adult.
Keywords: nuclear power / disaster prevention / health communication / patient education
1 Introduction
On March 11, 2011, many people were exposed to radiation following the accident at the Tokyo Electric Power Company( TEPCO) Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station( Tsubokura et al., 2012; United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, 2015). In Japan, prefectures and municipalities are required to maintain regional disaster preparedness plans( Cabinet Office and Fire and Disaster Management Agency, 2013). The preparation of these nuclear disaster preparedness manuals, which include basic knowledge of radiation and other hazards and the actions to be taken in the event of a disaster, is expected to encourage prompt protective actions by the general public and protect their lives and health in the event of a disaster( Cabinet Office
* Corresponding author: shinyai @ nrs. kitasato-u. ac. jp and Fire and Disaster Management Agency, 2013; Hellier et al., 2014). In the aftermath of a nuclear power plant accident, many people seek accurate and easy-to-understand knowledge about radiation and other related hazards( Goto et al., 2018; Hellier et al., 2014; Ito et al., 2017; Ohno and Endo, 2015). In this context, the importance of presenting informational content using visual design elements in a format appropriate for people with limited literacy skills has been examined( Gauntlett et al., 2019; Rudd et al., 2003). However, to date, no study has evaluated nuclear accident preparedness manuals in terms of ease of understanding, actionability, and the difficulty of the text although communication is a key issue in the recovery phase of a nuclear accident( Thu Zar et al., 2022).
Materials produced by professionals, including healthcare professionals, have been noted to be difficult to understand because of the use of complex professional terminology, which is often beyond the literacy level of the general adult population( Berland et al., 2001; Ito and Furukawa, 2024;
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