Healthy Skepticism Library item: 4563

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Journal Article

Kaphingst KA, Rudd RE, Dejong W, Daltroy LH.
Comprehension of information in three direct-to-consumer television prescription drug advertisements among adults with limited literacy.
J Health Commun 2005 Oct-Nov; 10:(7):609-19
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16278198

Abstract:

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) television advertisements present a number of facts about prescription drug risks and benefits in a brief time. This study assessed comprehension of information in three advertisements among 50 adults with limited literacy. Participants correctly answered an average of 59% of comprehension questions. The percentage of respondents correctly answering individual comprehension questions ranged from 26% to 92%. A multivariate analysis suggested that type of information (risk vs. other) and channel (text vs. audio) predicted comprehension. There was a significant interaction effect for literacy and place of birth. Our results suggest key areas for future research on comprehension of DTC advertising.

Keywords:
Adult Advertising* Aged Comprehension* Educational Status* Ethnic Groups Female Health Status Humans Male Middle Aged Pharmaceutical Preparations* Questionnaires Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. Television*