Previously submitted to: JMIR Public Health and Surveillance (no longer under consideration since Dec 27, 2017)
Date Submitted: Dec 20, 2017
Open Peer Review Period: Dec 27, 2017 - Dec 27, 2017
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How to assess seriousness? A new tool to help non-experts evaluate published information using a sample text on Electromagnetic Fields (EMF)
Background:
The provision of up-to-date information about environmental exposure to EMF and health risks is a central part of the work of public sector bodies for their communities. In view of the myriad of information published, it is no simple task to assess the trustworthiness of publications of all kind, especially for layman.
Objective:
Our intention was to create a tool for persons whose professional responsibilities include assessing risks and dealing with questions regarding public health in the field of EMF, and who thus act as decision-makers and/or as contact persons for the general population. We developed two specific handouts to guide the aforementioned persons and improve their competence in evaluating the results of scientific studies as well as media reports about such studies (print media) in terms of validity and objectivity, thereby, helping them to communicate with interested lay people and to engage in public discussions.
Methods:
For this, a group of 60 German participants (return rate: 92 %) tested the handout for the analysis of a sample text of popular media articles. Afterwards, the handout was evaluated in terms of time spent practicality, design and usability.
Results:
The majority of participants assessed the handout positively: The design and structure were judged to be clear and understandable (71.7%), the time required processing the information (88.3%) and the necessary level of previous knowledge (58.3%) turned out to be appropriate. However, only a small proportion of the participants felt better prepared for dealing with further information on this topic.
Conclusions:
In sum, the handout turned out to be a suitable tool to assess and evaluate information about EMF in media reports about scientific studies. Nevertheless, there is a need for further practical trials to test and possibly optimize its efficiency.
Citation
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