Assessing COVID-19 Health Information on Google Using the Quality Evaluation Scoring Tool (QUEST): Cross-sectional and Readability Analysis

Vismaya S Bachu; Heba Mahjoub; Albert E Holler; Tudor Crihalmeanu; Dheevena M Bachu; Varun Ayyaswami; Pearman D Parker; Arpan V Prabhu

doi:10.2196/32443

Assessing COVID-19 Health Information on Google Using the Quality Evaluation Scoring Tool (QUEST): Cross-sectional and Readability Analysis

JMIR Form Res. 2022 Feb 11;6(2):e32443. doi: 10.2196/32443.

Authors

Vismaya S Bachu¹, Heba Mahjoub¹, Albert E Holler¹, Tudor Crihalmeanu², Dheevena M Bachu³, Varun Ayyaswami⁴, Pearman D Parker⁵, Arpan V Prabhu⁶

Affiliations

¹ School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States.
² School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States.
³ Department of Neuroscience, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, United States.
⁴ Department of Internal Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States.
⁵ College of Nursing, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, United States.
⁶ Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Winthrop P Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Little Rock, AR, United States.

PMID: 34995206
PMCID: PMC8843082
DOI: 10.2196/32443

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic spurred an increase in online information regarding disease spread and symptomatology.

Objective: Our purpose is to systematically assess the quality and readability of articles resulting from frequently Google-searched COVID-19 terms in the United States.

Methods: We used Google Trends to determine the 25 most commonly searched health-related phrases between February 29 and April 30, 2020. The first 30 search results for each term were collected, and articles were analyzed using the Quality Evaluation Scoring Tool (QUEST). Three raters scored each article in authorship, attribution, conflict of interest, currency, complementarity, and tone. A readability analysis was conducted.

Results: Exactly 709 articles were screened, and 195 fulfilled inclusion criteria. The mean article score was 18.4 (SD 2.6) of 28, with 7% (14/189) scoring in the top quartile. National news outlets published the largest share (70/189, 36%) of articles. Peer-reviewed journals attained the highest average QUEST score compared to national/regional news outlets, national/state government sites, and global health organizations (all P<.05). The average reading level was 11.7 (SD 1.9, range 5.4-16.9). Only 3 (1.6%) articles were written at the recommended sixth grade level.

Conclusions: COVID-19-related articles are vastly varied in their attributes and levels of bias, and would benefit from revisions for increased readability.

Keywords: COVID-19; COVID-19 pandemic; QUEST; United States; cross-sectional; health literacy; internet; online health information; quality; readability; spread; symptom; trend.

©Vismaya S Bachu, Heba Mahjoub, Albert E Holler, Tudor Crihalmeanu, Dheevena M Bachu, Varun Ayyaswami, Pearman D Parker, Arpan V Prabhu. Originally published in JMIR Formative Research (https://formative.jmir.org), 11.02.2022.

Abstract

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