Usability of Health Promotional Materials and Their Translations by Newcomer Populations

Health promotional materials are used to increase people’s health literacy and educate them about important health related issues. However, research indicates that due to linguistic and cultural barriers, many immigrants do not comprehend the information provided in such materials. To reach the linguistically-diverse population of Ontario, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care prepares educational materials in different languages. However, no research has focused on immigrant reading comprehension of the health promotional materials. This research paper compares reading comprehension of health promotional materials in English and in Russian by Russian-speaking newcomers to examine the usability of the promotional materials on the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care website. It then proposes policy recommendations to lower readability levels of the health promotional materials and their translations.