Sponsors for several prescription drug classes market their products directly to adolescents, but research regarding how adolescents use risk and benefit information for health-related decisions is limited. Despite the lack of previous research specific to DTC drug marketing to adolescents, existing theoretical and empirical data make a strong case for treating adolescence as a unique life stage during which vulnerabilities that can affect informed decision-making must be taken into account. We plan to conduct a randomized, controlled study in two different medical conditions that assesses adolescents' perceptions following exposure to DTC prescription drug advertising that varies in benefit and risk onset and risk severity. We plan to compare adolescents' perceptions to those of young adult counterparts. Each participant will view a web-based promotional campaign for either a fictitious Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) medication or a fictitious acne medication. Because adolescents typically depend on their parents for prescription drug purchases, we also will include a sample of parents matched to their adolescent children to explore similarities and differences in perceptions for these matched pairs. The study will enroll three specific age groups (13–15, 16–17, and 25–30). We propose to explore differences in effects of the ad manipulations across these three age groups on a variety of outcomes, including benefit and risk recall, benefit and risk perceptions, and behavioral intentions. The study findings will inform FDA of relevant issues related to DTC promotion directed at adolescent populations.
US Code:
21 USC 393
Name of Law: Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
US Code:
42 USC 300u(a)(4)
Name of Law: Public Health Service Act
Ila Mizrachi 301 796-7726 ila.mizrachi@fda.hhs.gov
No
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