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Does pharmaceutical advertising affect journal publication about dietary supplements?
Kathi J Kemper1, Kaylene L Hood
1Department of Pediatrics and the Program for Complementary and Integrative Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA. kkemper@wfubmc.edu
BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine
|April 11, 2008
Summary
Increased pharmaceutical advertising in medical journals may be linked to fewer articles on dietary supplements (DS). Journals with more ads also published more negative DS safety conclusions.
Area of Science:
- Medical Journalism
- Pharmaceutical Advertising
- Dietary Supplements Research
Background:
- Advertising significantly influences consumer and healthcare provider behavior.
- The connection between pharmaceutical advertising and the publication of dietary supplement (DS) research in medical journals remains unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between pharmaceutical advertising volume in medical journals and the publication of articles concerning dietary supplements (DS).
Main Methods:
- A one-year review of 11 major medical journals was conducted, analyzing advertising content and DS-related articles.
- Articles were categorized by type (major vs. other) and conclusions on safety/effectiveness were coded.
- Advertising was classified as pharmaceutical or other.
Main Results:
- Journals with higher pharmaceutical ad prevalence published fewer major DS articles (P < 0.01).
- No clinical trials or cohort studies on DS were found in journals with the most pharmaceutical ads.
- Articles in high-pharmaceutical-ad journals were more likely to conclude DS were unsafe (67% vs. 4%, P = 0.02).
Conclusions:
- Findings suggest a correlation between increased pharmaceutical advertising and reduced DS publications, alongside a rise in negative DS safety conclusions.
- Further research with larger, diverse journal samples is recommended to validate these associations and explore alternative explanations.
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