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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Kimberly A Kaphingst, ScD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 44 Binney St., Boston, MA 02115, (617) 632-2949, Kimberly_Kaphingst@dfci.harvard.edu
In the last few years, pharmaceutical companies have rapidly increased the amount of television advertising about prescription drugs targeted to the public (Kreling et al., 2001). These television direct-to-consumer (DTC) pharmaceutical advertisements often have to convey a series of facts about the risks and benefits of a prescription drug in a short amount of time. Reported here are the results of a content analysis of 23 television DTC advertisements for different prescription drugs broadcast during 2001. Examined features of the advertisements included how risk information was communicated, type of vocabulary used, information source, and use of audio, visual, or print channels to convey certain types of information. Particular attention was paid to characteristics of the advertisements that might affect comprehension by individuals with limited literacy skills, such as what types of information were communicated only through print. Two coders independently coded each advertisement. High levels of inter-coder reliability were attained, and the analysis was based on consensus values. This content analysis showed that risk information was generally given only in the audio channel and rarely in print. In a majority of the advertisements, risk information was conveyed in one continuous section, rather than being integrated throughout the advertisement. Risk information regarding side effect frequency was generally presented in qualitative rather than quantitative terms. How information is presented in television DTC advertisements will likely affect comprehension of this information by members of the general public.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Risk Communication, Literacy
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: This study examined television advertisements for 23 prescription drugs. There is no conflict of interest because this research was conducted independently of any pharmaceutical company.
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.