title: Visual elements in direct-to-consumer advertising: Messages communicated to patients with arthritis.
abstract: Direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising saturates popular health magazines, communicating persuasive messages to readers that may influence attitudes and behaviors. This research used a two-prong approach to investigate the visual elements used in DTC advertising and their influence on consumers' understanding of a disease and its treatment options. An analysis was conducted of DTC advertisements (N = 62) from a population sample of Arthritis Today magazine, 2000-2010. Three panels of people with arthritis were used to validate the findings and discuss implications for health literacy. Pharmaceutical companies have an opportunity to communicate tailored messages to readers of niche publications and improve disease management.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Advertising, Public Relations, and Media Design, College of Media, Communication, and Information , University of Colorado , Boulder , Colorado , USA.
authors.forename: Erin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Willis
mesh_terms: D000329:Advertising; D001168:Arthritis / Q000628:therapy*; D000067088:Direct-to-Consumer Advertising / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D057220:Health Literacy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010506:Periodicals as Topic; D010565:Persuasive Communication; D036301:Qualitative Research
keywords: Advertising; chronic illness; health promotion; media; qualitative methods