Marketing pharmaceutical drugs to women in magazines: a content analysis.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the prevalence and content of pharmaceutical ads in demographically different women's magazines.


METHODS
A content analysis was conducted using one year's worth of 5 different women's magazines of varying age demographics.


RESULTS
Magazines differed in the proportion of drug ads for different health conditions (eg, cardiovascular) and target audience by age demographic. Use of persuasive elements (types of appeals, evidence) varied by condition promoted (eg, mental-health drug ads more frequently used emotional appeals). Ads placed greater emphasis on direction to industry information resources than on physician discussions.


CONCLUSIONS
Prevalence of pharmaceutical advertising in women's magazines is high; continued surveillance is recommended.
Sokol
Jennifer
J
Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry, Richmond, VA, USA. jsokol@mcvh-vcu.edu
Wackowski
Olivia
O
Lewis
M J
MJ
D000329:Advertising / Q000145:classification / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D054626:Consumer Health Information; D004345:Drug Industry; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination / Q000379:methods; D010506:Periodicals as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010565:Persuasive Communication; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations
D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations