Monica J Hwang, graduate student, working with Henry Young, assistant professor in the Social and Administrative Sciences Division, was awarded a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Dissertation Grant to study direct to consumer advertisements (DTCA) for medications.

The educational value of direct to consumer advertisement (DTCA) for consumers is in question due to its imbalance in benefit and risk information and its presented format. The funded dissertation research challenges to modify a print DTCA for an anti-depression medication based on the Explanatory Structure Building Model and previous findings to enhance the educational value of DTCA for consumers. This study involves comparing chronic kidney disease patients’ comprehension of information, perceived information quality, retention of information and intended communication behavior after viewing the original print advertisement to the modified advertisement for an anti-depression medication.