Electronic direct-to-consumer advertising of pharmaceuticals: an assessment of textual and visual content of websites

Abstract

Abstract Considering the important role of the Internet in health information seeking by consumers, it is critical to examine the health information that is available to them through the Internet. This study contributes to existing knowledge by employing a content analysis to examine visual and textual information on prescription medication websites. A stratified random sample was selected from a list of the 100 most-prescribed medications in the United States. Findings point to under-utilization of audiovisual components on the homepage of prescription medication websites as well as a lack of racial diversity in people pictured. Medications for chronic conditions were more likely to have homepages with a positive emotional tone than those for acute conditions. Further, more depictions of women on homepages predicted a greater number of prescriptions filled. This study includes implications for health education and healthcare professionals, patients and the Food and Drug Administration.