Objectives: To examine the prevalence and content of pharmaceutical ads in demographically different women's magazines.
Methods: A content analysis was conducted using one year's worth of 5 different women's magazines of varying age demographics.
Results: Magazines differed in the proportion of drug ads for different health conditions (eg, cardiovascular) and target audience by age demographic. Use of persuasive elements (types of appeals, evidence) varied by condition promoted (eg, mental-health drug ads more frequently used emotional appeals). Ads placed greater emphasis on direction to industry information resources than on physician discussions.
Conclusions: Prevalence of pharmaceutical advertising in women's magazines is high; continued surveillance is recommended.