Currently submitted to: JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting
Date Submitted: Jun 14, 2026
Open Peer Review Period: Jun 15, 2026 - Aug 10, 2026
(currently open for review)
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Pediatric Asthma Educational Pamphlets in Japan: A Quality Analysis
ABSTRACT
Background:
Child-centered care, including informed assent, requires clear educational materials, yet the accessibility of pediatric asthma pamphlets in Japan remains unexamined.
Objective:
We conducted a descriptive evaluation of publicly available Japanese-language pediatric asthma pamphlets using the Clear Communication Index (CCI).
Methods:
Eighteen pamphlets were collected via an internet search conducted on October 21, 2025, supplemented by direct requests for materials used in clinical practice; these were categorized by content (pathophysiology vs. treatment/testing) and target audience (families vs. children). Within each category, two raters selected the page spread judged to provide the most concise summary, yielding 31 page spreads for evaluation, which were independently scored.
Results:
CCI scores ranged from 10.0% to 88.9% (median 73.3%), all short of the ≥90% clarity benchmark. Scores did not differ significantly by content type or intended audience (p > 0.05). Domain scores were lowest for numeric information and risk communication.
Conclusions:
Current Japanese-language pediatric asthma pamphlets do not meet recommended clarity standards, highlighting the need to better communicate quantitative information and risks in materials intended to support children’s understanding and participation in care.
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