Comprehension of Information in Three Direct-to-Consumer Television Prescription Drug Advertisements Among Adults With Limited Literacy

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.

This research was supported by the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy, funded by the Educational Research Development Center Program Award #R309B0002, as administered by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement. Dr. Daltroy was supported by NIH grant #P60AR47782. The authors thank Nora Horick for her statistical advice, the adult education students who participated in interviews, and the staff and teachers at the adult education centers who helped make this study possible.

Notes

*These questions had missing data for one participant.

¹The GEE model also controlled for sex, age, race/ethnicity, years of formal education (modeled as both number of years and that value squared), and insurance status.

²Higher literacy: grade 7 and above (REALM grade equivalent categories).

³Lower literacy: grade 6 and below (REALM grade equivalent categories).

⁴Comparison category is lower literacy, foreign born.

⁵Comparison ad is Nasacort AQ.

⁶These indicator variables compare the “yes” category to the “no” (comparison) category.

⁷Information given in text, with or without accompanying audio, compared with audio only.

⁸Individuals reporting excellent, very good, or good health compared with those reporting fair or poor health.