Unraveling the web: an evaluation of the content quality, usability, and readability of nutrition web sites

OBJECTIVE: To determine the content quality, general readability, and usability characteristics of consumer nutrition information on the World Wide Web. DESIGN: Almost 500 Web sites were identified for evaluation through 2 different approaches. Of these, 150 were included for further evaluation. Each site was rated on a 27-item tool covering content quality, readability, and usability. ANALYSIS: Summary statistics, means, ranges, and standard deviation were calculated for each study variable. The statistical significance of differences between item means by search strategy was determined using Student's t tests. RESULTS: Web sites identified using popular search engines scored significantly lower for content quality (P < .0001), were easier to navigate (P < .001), had better overall adherence to usability standards (P < .0001), and had lower reading levels compared with those sites identified using a government Web portal. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Nutrition Web sites obtained using popular search engines may be aesthetically appealing and easy to use, but they often provide inaccurate nutrition information. As consumers increasingly turn to the World Wide Web for nutrition advice and education, it is imperative that the needs of diverse user populations be identified and addressed. Future nutrition education research should build on these findings by creating strategies that help users find reliable user-friendly gateways to accurate nutrition information on the Internet.