S756 Assessing Online Nutrition Information for IBS: A Quality and Readability Study

Introduction: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a gastrointestinal disorder often marked by abdominal pain, bloating, and altered bowel habits. Despite the range of treatments available for IBS, many patients report persistent symptoms. Online resources covering nutritional interventions have grown, but their quality and readability vary. This study used validated assessment tools to evaluate website information about IBS and nutrition in patient-focused and healthcare professional-focused websites. Methods: A Google search using the terms ‘IBS’ and ‘Nutrition’ resulted in websites that were categorized by target audience: healthcare professionals (HCPs) or patients. Video format and commercial advertisements were excluded. Readability was determined using the validated Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Calculation and Reading Ease, with 8 subcategory ratings from Professional (0–10) to fifth grade (90–100). The validated DISCERN questionnaire was used to assess the quality and reliability of information, with ratings categorized as: Very Poor (16–26), Poor (27–38), Fair (39–50), Average (51–62), Good (63–75), and Excellent (76–80). Statistical analysis used 2-tailed unpaired Welch’s t-tests to account for unequal variances between groups with significance set at P < 0.05. Results: Out of 108 consecutive websites, 8 were excluded, leaving 100 sites: 86 targeting patients and 14 targeting HCPs. Websites analyzed included 25 academic, 7 research, 7 government-affiliated, 16 hospital-affiliated, 41 informational, and 4 news publications. There was a significant difference in the Flesch-Kincaid Grade level between sites for HCPs (M = 12.0, SD = 3.07) and patients (M = 37.9, SD = 2.14); P-value = 0.0014, as well as reading ease between sites for HCPs (M = 34.5, SD = 15.30) vs patients (M = 55.0, SD = 10.81); P-value = 0.0002. The quality of content across all sites was Average (DISCERN score = 54.85) with a significant difference between sites for HCPs (M = 67.1, SD = 10.92) and patients (M = 52.9, SD = 12.67); P-value = 0.0003. Conclusion: The readability of online information on IBS was significantly more advanced than the AMA-recommended 6th-grade and the NIH-recommended eighth grade reading level for patients. Patient-focused websites had a reading level of tenth–12th grade, while HCP websites were written at a college level. The quality of all websites was average. Providers should be aware of the website readability challenges and help patients find reliable, accessible resources to support informed choices about nutrition and diet.