title: Thinking outside the medicine cabinet: a comparative content analysis of direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drug treatments.
abstract: This study content analyzed online direct-to-consumer advertisements (DTCA) for prescription drug treatments to explore whether ads for prescription treatments for psychiatric conditions, which are commonly untreated, differ from other drug advertisements. Coded variables included the presence of interactive technological components, use of promotional incentives, and the social contexts portrayed in images shown on each site. Statistical analysis revealed ads for psychiatric medications contained fewer interactive website features, financial incentives, and calls to action than other types of prescription drug advertisements. Implications for health communication researchers are discussed.
authors.affiliation: a School of Journalism and Mass Communications , University of South Carolina , Columbia , South Carolina.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: McKeever
mesh_terms: D001526:Behavioral Symptoms / Q000188:drug therapy; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D000067088:Direct-to-Consumer Advertising / Q000941:ethics; D004345:Drug Industry / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D008603:Mental Health; D060946:Pharmaceutical Services, Online; D055553:Prescription Drugs / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018570:Risk Assessment
chemical_list: D055553:Prescription Drugs
keywords: content analysis; direct-to-consumer; mental health; prescription drug advertisements; stigma