WorldWideScience

Sample records for direct-to-consumer personal genome

  1. Consumer Health Informatics Aspects of Direct-to-Consumer Personal Genomic Testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gray, Kathleen; Stephen, Remya; Terrill, Bronwyn; Wilson, Brenda; Middleton, Anna; Tytherleigh, Rigan; Turbitt, Erin; Gaff, Clara; Savard, Jacqueline; Hickerton, Chriselle; Newson, Ainsley; Metcalfe, Sylvia

    2017-01-01

    This paper uses consumer health informatics as a framework to explore whether and how direct-to-consumer personal genomic testing can be regarded as a form of information which assists consumers to manage their health. It presents findings from qualitative content analysis of web sites that offer testing services, and of transcripts from focus groups conducted as part a study of the Australian public's expectations of personal genomics. Content analysis showed that service offerings have some features of consumer health information but lack consistency. Focus group participants were mostly unfamiliar with the specifics of test reports and related information services. Some of their ideas about aids to knowledge were in line with the benefits described on provider web sites, but some expectations were inflated. People were ambivalent about whether these services would address consumers' health needs, interests and contexts and whether they would support consumers' health self-management decisions and outcomes. There is scope for consumer health informatics approaches to refine the usage and the utility of direct-to-consumer personal genomic testing. Further research may focus on how uptake is affected by consumers' health literacy or by services' engagement with consumers about what they really want.

  2. Informing the Design of Direct-to-Consumer Interactive Personal Genomics Reports.

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    Shaer, Orit; Nov, Oded; Okerlund, Johanna; Balestra, Martina; Stowell, Elizabeth; Ascher, Laura; Bi, Joanna; Schlenker, Claire; Ball, Madeleine

    2015-06-12

    In recent years, people who sought direct-to-consumer genetic testing services have been increasingly confronted with an unprecedented amount of personal genomic information, which influences their decisions, emotional state, and well-being. However, these users of direct-to-consumer genetic services, who vary in their education and interests, frequently have little relevant experience or tools for understanding, reasoning about, and interacting with their personal genomic data. Online interactive techniques can play a central role in making personal genomic data useful for these users. We sought to (1) identify the needs of diverse users as they make sense of their personal genomic data, (2) consequently develop effective interactive visualizations of genomic trait data to address these users' needs, and (3) evaluate the effectiveness of the developed visualizations in facilitating comprehension. The first two user studies, conducted with 63 volunteers in the Personal Genome Project and with 36 personal genomic users who participated in a design workshop, respectively, employed surveys and interviews to identify the needs and expectations of diverse users. Building on the two initial studies, the third study was conducted with 730 Amazon Mechanical Turk users and employed a controlled experimental design to examine the effectiveness of different design interventions on user comprehension. The first two studies identified searching, comparing, sharing, and organizing data as fundamental to users' understanding of personal genomic data. The third study demonstrated that interactive and visual design interventions could improve the understandability of personal genomic reports for consumers. In particular, results showed that a new interactive bubble chart visualization designed for the study resulted in the highest comprehension scores, as well as the highest perceived comprehension scores. These scores were significantly higher than scores received using the

  3. Attitudes towards Social Networking and Sharing Behaviors among Consumers of Direct-to-Consumer Personal Genomics.

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    Lee, Sandra Soo-Jin; Vernez, Simone L; Ormond, K E; Granovetter, Mark

    2013-10-14

    Little is known about how consumers of direct-to-consumer personal genetic services share personal genetic risk information. In an age of ubiquitous online networking and rapid development of social networking tools, understanding how consumers share personal genetic risk assessments is critical in the development of appropriate and effective policies. This exploratory study investigates how consumers share personal genetic information and attitudes towards social networking behaviors. Adult participants aged 23 to 72 years old who purchased direct-to-consumer genetic testing from a personal genomics company were administered a web-based survey regarding their sharing activities and social networking behaviors related to their personal genetic test results. 80 participants completed the survey; of those, 45% shared results on Facebook and 50.9% reported meeting or reconnecting with more than 10 other individuals through the sharing of their personal genetic information. For help interpreting test results, 70.4% turned to Internet websites and online sources, compared to 22.7% who consulted their healthcare providers. Amongst participants, 51.8% reported that they believe the privacy of their personal genetic information would be breached in the future. Consumers actively utilize online social networking tools to help them share and interpret their personal genetic information. These findings suggest a need for careful consideration of policy recommendations in light of the current ambiguity of regulation and oversight of consumer initiated sharing activities.

  4. Attitudes towards Social Networking and Sharing Behaviors among Consumers of Direct-to-Consumer Personal Genomics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mark Granovetter

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Little is known about how consumers of direct-to-consumer personal genetic services share personal genetic risk information. In an age of ubiquitous online networking and rapid development of social networking tools, understanding how consumers share personal genetic risk assessments is critical in the development of appropriate and effective policies. This exploratory study investigates how consumers share personal genetic information and attitudes towards social networking behaviors. Methods: Adult participants aged 23 to 72 years old who purchased direct-to-consumer genetic testing from a personal genomics company were administered a web-based survey regarding their sharing activities and social networking behaviors related to their personal genetic test results. Results: 80 participants completed the survey; of those, 45% shared results on Facebook and 50.9% reported meeting or reconnecting with more than 10 other individuals through the sharing of their personal genetic information. For help interpreting test results, 70.4% turned to Internet websites and online sources, compared to 22.7% who consulted their healthcare providers. Amongst participants, 51.8% reported that they believe the privacy of their personal genetic information would be breached in the future. Conclusion: Consumers actively utilize online social networking tools to help them share and interpret their personal genetic information. These findings suggest a need for careful consideration of policy recommendations in light of the current ambiguity of regulation and oversight of consumer initiated sharing activities.

  5. Informed consent in direct-to-consumer personal genome testing: the outline of a model between specific and generic consent.

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    Bunnik, Eline M; Janssens, A Cecile J W; Schermer, Maartje H N

    2014-09-01

    Broad genome-wide testing is increasingly finding its way to the public through the online direct-to-consumer marketing of so-called personal genome tests. Personal genome tests estimate genetic susceptibilities to multiple diseases and other phenotypic traits simultaneously. Providers commonly make use of Terms of Service agreements rather than informed consent procedures. However, to protect consumers from the potential physical, psychological and social harms associated with personal genome testing and to promote autonomous decision-making with regard to the testing offer, we argue that current practices of information provision are insufficient and that there is a place--and a need--for informed consent in personal genome testing, also when it is offered commercially. The increasing quantity, complexity and diversity of most testing offers, however, pose challenges for information provision and informed consent. Both specific and generic models for informed consent fail to meet its moral aims when applied to personal genome testing. Consumers should be enabled to know the limitations, risks and implications of personal genome testing and should be given control over the genetic information they do or do not wish to obtain. We present the outline of a new model for informed consent which can meet both the norm of providing sufficient information and the norm of providing understandable information. The model can be used for personal genome testing, but will also be applicable to other, future forms of broad genetic testing or screening in commercial and clinical settings. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  6. Direct-to-consumer genomics on the scales of autonomy

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    Vayena, Effy

    2015-01-01

    Direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic services have generated enormous controversy from their first emergence. A dramatic recent manifestation of this is the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) cease and desist order against 23andMe, the leading provider in the market. Critics have argued for the restrictive regulation of such services, and even their prohibition, on the grounds of the harm they pose to consumers. Their advocates, by contrast, defend them as a means of enhancing the autonomy of those same consumers. Autonomy emerges as a key battle-field in this debate, because many of the ‘harm’ arguments can be interpreted as identifying threats to autonomy. This paper assesses whether DTC genomic services are a threat to, or instead, an enhancement of, personal autonomy. It deploys Joseph Raz's account of personal autonomy, with its emphasis on choice from a range of valuable options. It then seeks to counter claims that DTC genomics threatens autonomy because it involves manipulation in contravention of consumers’ independence or because it does not generate valuable options which can be meaningfully engaged with by consumers. It is stressed that the value of the options generated by DTC genomics should not be judged exclusively from the perspective of medical actionability, but should take into consideration plural utilities. Finally, the paper ends by broaching policy recommendations, suggesting that there is a strong autonomy-based argument for permitting DTC genomic services, and that the key question is the nature of the regulatory conditions under which they should be permitted. The discussion of autonomy in this paper helps illuminate some of these conditions. PMID:24797610

  7. Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing and Personal Genomics Services: A Review of Recent Empirical Studies

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    Ostergren, Jenny

    2013-01-01

    Direct-to-consumer genetic testing (DTC-GT) has sparked much controversy and undergone dramatic changes in its brief history. Debates over appropriate health policies regarding DTC-GT would benefit from empirical research on its benefits, harms, and limitations. We review the recent literature (2011-present) and summarize findings across (1) content analyses of DTC-GT websites, (2) studies of consumer perspectives and experiences, and (3) surveys of relevant health care providers. Findings suggest that neither the health benefits envisioned by DTC-GT proponents (e.g., significant improvements in positive health behaviors) nor the worst fears expressed by its critics (e.g., catastrophic psychological distress and misunderstanding of test results, undue burden on the health care system) have materialized to date. However, research in this area is in its early stages and possesses numerous key limitations. We note needs for future studies to illuminate the impact of DTC-GT and thereby guide practice and policy regarding this rapidly evolving approach to personal genomics. PMID:24058877

  8. Diet and exercise changes following direct-to-consumer personal genomic testing.

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    Nielsen, Daiva Elena; Carere, Deanna Alexis; Wang, Catharine; Roberts, J Scott; Green, Robert C

    2017-05-02

    The impacts of direct-to-consumer personal genomic testing (PGT) on health behaviors such as diet and exercise are poorly understood. Our investigation aimed to evaluate diet and exercise changes following PGT and to determine if changes were associated with genetic test results obtained from PGT. Customers of 23andMe and Pathway Genomics completed a web-based survey prior to receiving PGT results (baseline) and 6 months post-results. Fruit and vegetable intake (servings/day), and light, vigorous and strength exercise frequency (days/week) were assessed. Changes in diet and exercise were examined using paired t-tests and linear regressions. Additional analyses examined whether outcomes differed by baseline self-reported health (SRH) or content of PGT results. Longitudinal data were available for 1,002 participants. Significant increases were observed for vegetable intake (mean Δ = 0.11 (95% CI = 0.05, 0.17), p = 0.0003) and strength exercise (Δ = 0.14 (0.03, 0.25), p = 0.0153). When stratified by SRH, significant increases were observed for all outcomes among lower SRH participants: fruit intake, Δ = 0.11 (0.02, 0.21), p = 0.0148; vegetable intake, Δ = 0.16 (0.07, 0.25), p = 0.0005; light exercise, Δ = 0.25 (0.03, 0.47), p = 0.0263; vigorous exercise, Δ = 0.23 (0.06, 0.41), p = 0.0097; strength exercise, Δ = 0.19 (0.01, 0.37), p = 0.0369. A significant change among higher SRH participants was only observed for light exercise, and in the opposite direction: Δ = -0.2468 (-0.06, -0.44), p = 0.0111. Genetic results were not consistently associated with any diet or exercise changes. The experience of PGT was associated with modest, mostly positive changes in diet and exercise. Associations were independent of genetic results from PGT.

  9. Consumers report lower confidence in their genetics knowledge following direct-to-consumer personal genomic testing.

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    Carere, Deanna Alexis; Kraft, Peter; Kaphingst, Kimberly A; Roberts, J Scott; Green, Robert C

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this study was to measure changes to genetics knowledge and self-efficacy following personal genomic testing (PGT). New customers of 23andMe and Pathway Genomics completed a series of online surveys. We measured genetics knowledge (nine true/false items) and genetics self-efficacy (five Likert-scale items) before receipt of results and 6 months after results and used paired methods to evaluate change over time. Correlates of change (e.g., decision regret) were identified using linear regression. 998 PGT customers (59.9% female; 85.8% White; mean age 46.9 ± 15.5 years) were included in our analyses. Mean genetics knowledge score was 8.15 ± 0.95 (out of 9) at baseline and 8.25 ± 0.92 at 6 months (P = 0.0024). Mean self-efficacy score was 29.06 ± 5.59 (out of 35) at baseline and 27.7 ± 5.46 at 6 months (P reported lower self-efficacy following PGT. Change in self-efficacy was positively associated with health-care provider consultation (P = 0.0042), impact of PGT on perceived control over one's health (P consumers in response to receiving complex genetic information.Genet Med 18 1, 65-72.

  10. Genetic gatekeepers: regulating direct-to-consumer genomic services in an era of participatory medicine.

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    Palmer, Jessica Elizabeth

    2012-01-01

    Should consumers be able to obtain information about their own bodies, even if it has no proven medical value? Direct-to-consumer ("DTC") genomic companies offer consumers two services: generation of the consumer's personal genetic sequence, and interpretation of that sequence in light of current research. Concerned that consumers will misunderstand genomic information and make ill-advised health decisions, regulators, legislators and scholars have advocated restricted access to DTC genomic services. The Food and Drug Administration, which has historically refrained from regulating most genetic tests, has announced its intent to treat DTC genomic services as medical devices because they make "medical claims." This Article argues that FDA regulation of genomic services as medical devices would be counterproductive. Clinical laboratories conducting genetic tests are already overseen by a federal regime administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. While consumers and clinicians would benefit from clearer communication of test results and their health implications, FDA's gatekeeping framework is ill-suited to weigh the safety and efficacy of genomic information that is not medically actionable in traditional ways. Playing gatekeeper would burden FDA's resources, conflict with the patient-empowering policies promoted by personalized medicine initiatives, impair individuals' access to information in which they have powerful autonomy interests, weaken novel participatory research infrastructures, and set a poor precedent for the future regulation of medical information. Rather than applying its risk-based regulatory framework to genetic information, FDA should ameliorate regulatory uncertainty by working with the Federal Trade Commission and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to ensure that DTC genomic services deliver analytically valid data, market and implement their services in a truthful manner, and fully disclose the limitations of their

  11. Influence of individual differences in disease perception on consumer response to direct-to-consumer genomic testing.

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    Boeldt, D L; Schork, N J; Topol, E J; Bloss, C S

    2015-03-01

    Individuals who undergo multiplex direct-to-consumer (DTC) genomic testing receive genetic risk results for multiple conditions. To date, research has not investigated the influence of individual differences in disease perceptions among consumers on testing outcomes. A total of 2037 participants received DTC genomic testing and completed baseline and follow-up surveys assessing disease perceptions and health behaviors. Participants were asked to indicate their most feared disease of those tested. Perceived seriousness and controllability of the disease via lifestyle or medical intervention were assessed. Participants most frequently reported heart attack (19.1%) and Alzheimer's disease (18.6%) as their most feared disease. Perceived seriousness and control over the feared disease both influenced response to DTC genomic testing. Greater perceived seriousness and diminished perceived control were associated with higher, but not clinically significant levels of anxiety and distress. In some cases these associations were modified by genetic risk. No significant associations were observed for diet, exercise and screening behaviors. Individual differences in disease perceptions influence psychological outcomes following DTC genomic testing. Higher perceived seriousness may make a consumer more psychologically sensitive to test results and greater perceived control may protect against adverse psychological outcomes. Findings may inform development of educational and counseling services. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  12. Crowdsourced direct-to-consumer genomic analysis of a family quartet.

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    Corpas, Manuel; Valdivia-Granda, Willy; Torres, Nazareth; Greshake, Bastian; Coletta, Alain; Knaus, Alexej; Harrison, Andrew P; Cariaso, Mike; Moran, Federico; Nielsen, Fiona; Swan, Daniel; Weiss Solís, David Y; Krawitz, Peter; Schacherer, Frank; Schols, Peter; Yang, Huangming; Borry, Pascal; Glusman, Gustavo; Robinson, Peter N

    2015-11-07

    We describe the pioneering experience of a Spanish family pursuing the goal of understanding their own personal genetic data to the fullest possible extent using Direct to Consumer (DTC) tests. With full informed consent from the Corpas family, all genotype, exome and metagenome data from members of this family, are publicly available under a public domain Creative Commons 0 (CC0) license waiver. All scientists or companies analysing these data ("the Corpasome") were invited to return results to the family. We released 5 genotypes, 4 exomes, 1 metagenome from the Corpas family via a blog and figshare under a public domain license, inviting scientists to join the crowdsourcing efforts to analyse the genomes in return for coauthorship or acknowldgement in derived papers. Resulting analysis data were compiled via social media and direct email. Here we present the results of our investigations, combining the crowdsourced contributions and our own efforts. Four companies offering annotations for genomic variants were applied to four family exomes: BIOBASE, Ingenuity, Diploid, and GeneTalk. Starting from a common VCF file and after selecting for significant results from company reports, we find no overlap among described annotations. We additionally report on a gut microbiome analysis of a member of the Corpas family. This study presents an analysis of a diverse set of tools and methods offered by four DTC companies. The striking discordance of the results mirrors previous findings with respect to DTC analysis of SNP chip data, and highlights the difficulties of using DTC data for preventive medical care. To our knowledge, the data and analysis results from our crowdsourced study represent the most comprehensive exome and analysis for a family quartet using solely DTC data generation to date.

  13. [Personal genomics: are we debating the right Issues?].

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    Vayena, E; Mauch, F

    2012-07-25

    The debate about personal genomics and their role in personalized medicine has been, to some extent, hijacked by the controversy about commercially available genomic tests sold directly to consumers. The clinical validity and utility of such tests are currently limited and most medical associations recommend that consumers refrain from testing. Conversely, DTC genomics proponents and particularly the DTC industry argue that there is personal utility in acquiring genomic information. While it is necessary to debate risks and benefits of DTC genomics, we should not lose sight of the increasingly important role that genomics will play in medical practice and public health. Therefore, and in anticipation of this shift we also need to focus on important implications from the use of genomics information such as genetic discrimination, privacy protection and equitable access to health care. Undoubtedly, personal genomics will challenge our social norms maybe more than our medicine. Sticking to the polarization of «to have or not to have DTC genomics» risks to takes us away from the critical issues we need to be debating.

  14. Third-person effects and direct-to-consumer advertisements for antidepressants.

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    Taylor, Laramie D; Bell, Robert A; Kravitz, Richard L

    2011-02-01

    This study examines the evidence for a third- person effect (TPE) in the reactions of individuals affected by depression to direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertisements for antidepressants. TPE predicts that people will perceive the self to be less vulnerable to such advertisements than others. Previous research has identified such an effect, but did so in general population surveys. Past Previous research has also found a link between depression and diminished self-serving biases; whether this would be the case for TPE is unknown. An online questionnaire was administered to 148 participants in an Internet depression support group to investigate their perceptions of the influence of direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertisements for antidepressants. Consistent with expectations derived from third-person effect TPE research, participants, although relatively neutral in their attitudes toward such advertisements, nevertheless perceived other individuals with depression as more influenced than themselves. Positive attitudes towards DTC advertisements and depressive symptoms at the time of the survey were each negatively associated with this third-person perception (TPE). Individuals who have been diagnosed with depression and who participated in an online depression support group believe that they are less vulnerable to the influence of DTC advertisements than the typical person with a history of depression. This is moderated by attitudes towards DTC advertisements as well as by depressive symptoms, each of which is associated with a weakened TPE. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  15. Re-Examining the Gene in Personalized Genomics

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    Bartol, Jordan

    2013-01-01

    Personalized genomics companies (PG; also called "direct-to-consumer genetics") are businesses marketing genetic testing to consumers over the Internet. While much has been written about these new businesses, little attention has been given to their roles in science communication. This paper provides an analysis of the gene concept…

  16. Knowledge and attitude of general pratictioners towards direct-to-consumer genomic tests: a survey conducted in Italy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Baroncini

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Background: Personal genomic tests (PGT offered directly-to-consumers (DTC for complex disease risk assessment have raised several concerns regarding their potential adverse impact. To mitigate worries continuing professional education has been advocated and the central gatekeeper role of family physicians has been highlighted. Nevertheless, to date, only few studies have been published on awareness, involvement and attitudes of  primary healthcare providers on DTC marketing of PGT and, to the best of our knowledge, none in Italy.Methods: An exploratory survey to achieve information about knowledge and attitudes towards DTC-PGT of a selected group of family physicians participating to courses on predictive medicine and public health genomics was conducted. Results: A total amount of 114 partially or fully filled questionnaires was obtained. The majority of the primary care providers (68,4%  expressed that they are unaware that companies are selling genomic tests directly to consumers, while 31,6% was aware.  In terms of attitudes toward testing 61,1% of the aware respondents deemed the DTC-PGT for chronic complex diseases to be ‘‘not clinically useful.’’  The overwhelming majority of our respondents (95,6% felt unprepared to answer patients’ questions on DTC-PGT. If only aware respondents are considered this percentage results obviously  lower (86,1%, though still very high. Conclusion: The low percentage of aware respondents suggests that DTC advertising in the realm of genomic testing is still limited in Italy. Should DTC-PGT become more widely used, a comprehensive education program may be necessary to increase family physicians’ awareness and help them discuss testing with their patients. 

  17. Personal genomics services: whose genomes?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gurwitz, David; Bregman-Eschet, Yael

    2009-07-01

    New companies offering personal whole-genome information services over the internet are dynamic and highly visible players in the personal genomics field. For fees currently ranging from US$399 to US$2500 and a vial of saliva, individuals can now purchase online access to their individual genetic information regarding susceptibility to a range of chronic diseases and phenotypic traits based on a genome-wide SNP scan. Most of the companies offering such services are based in the United States, but their clients may come from nearly anywhere in the world. Although the scientific validity, clinical utility and potential future implications of such services are being hotly debated, several ethical and regulatory questions related to direct-to-consumer (DTC) marketing strategies of genetic tests have not yet received sufficient attention. For example, how can we minimize the risk of unauthorized third parties from submitting other people's DNA for testing? Another pressing question concerns the ownership of (genotypic and phenotypic) information, as well as the unclear legal status of customers regarding their own personal information. Current legislation in the US and Europe falls short of providing clear answers to these questions. Until the regulation of personal genomics services catches up with the technology, we call upon commercial providers to self-regulate and coordinate their activities to minimize potential risks to individual privacy. We also point out some specific steps, along the trustee model, that providers of DTC personal genomics services as well as regulators and policy makers could consider for addressing some of the concerns raised below.

  18. Direct to consumer genetic testing and the libertarian right to test.

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    Bonython, Wendy Elizabeth; Arnold, Bruce Baer

    2017-08-20

    Loi recently proposed a libertarian right to direct to consumer genetic testing (DTCGT)- independent of autonomy or utility-reflecting Cohen's work on self-ownership and Hohfeld's model of jural relations. Cohen's model of libertarianism dealt principally with self-ownership of the physical body. Although Loi adequately accounts for the physical properties of DNA, DNA is also an informational substrate, highly conserved within families. Information about the genome of relatives of the person undergoing testing may be extrapolated without requiring direct engagement with their personal physical copy of the genome, triggering rights and interests of relatives that may differ from the rights and interests of others, that is, individual consumers, testing providers and regulators. Loi argued that regulatory interference with exercise of the right required justification, whereas prima facie exercise of the right did not. Justification of regulatory interference could include 'conflict with other people's rights', 'aggressive' use of the genome and 'harming others'. Harms potentially experienced by relatives as a result of the individual's exercise of a right to test include breach of genetic privacy, violation of their right to determine when, and if, they undertake genetic testing and discrimination. Such harms may justify regulatory intervention, in the event they are recognised; motives driving 'aggressive' use of the genome may also be relevant. Each of the above criteria requires clarification, as potential redundancies and tensions exist between them, with different implications affecting different groups of rights holders. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  19. Counseling Customers: Emerging Roles for Genetic Counselors in the Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing Market

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Harris, A.; Kelly, S.; Wyatt, S.

    2013-01-01

    Individuals now have access to an increasing number of internet resources offering personal genomics services. As the direct-to-consumer genetic testing (DTC GT) industry expands, critics have called for pre- and post-test genetic counseling to be included with the product. Several genetic testing

  20. Size of the direct-to-consumer genomic testing market.

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    Wright, Caroline F; Gregory-Jones, Shelley

    2010-09-01

    There has been enormous interest in the recent development of consumer genomics services, but very little is known about their impact. Using publicly available information, we estimate that the market for genetic susceptibility tests for complex diseases is much smaller than previously suggested, and hence consider that regulation through restrictive statutory legislation may be excessive.

  1. Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing: User Motivations, Decision Making, and Perceived Utility of Results.

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    Roberts, J Scott; Gornick, Michele C; Carere, Deanna Alexis; Uhlmann, Wendy R; Ruffin, Mack T; Green, Robert C

    2017-01-01

    To describe the interests, decision making, and responses of consumers of direct-to-consumer personal genomic testing (DTC-PGT) services. Prior to 2013 regulatory restrictions on DTC-PGT services, 1,648 consumers from 2 leading companies completed Web surveys before and after receiving test results. Prior to testing, DTC-PGT consumers were as interested in ancestry (74% very interested) and trait information (72%) as they were in disease risks (72%). Among disease risks, heart disease (68% very interested), breast cancer (67%), and Alzheimer disease (66%) were of greatest interest prior to testing. Interest in disease risks was associated with female gender and poorer self-reported health (p decisions. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  2. Re-examining the Gene in Personalized Genomics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bartol, Jordan

    2013-10-01

    Personalized genomics companies (PG; also called `direct-to-consumer genetics') are businesses marketing genetic testing to consumers over the Internet. While much has been written about these new businesses, little attention has been given to their roles in science communication. This paper provides an analysis of the gene concept presented to customers and the relation between the information given and the science behind PG. Two quite different gene concepts are present in company rhetoric, but only one features in the science. To explain this, we must appreciate the delicate tension between PG, academic science, public expectation, and market forces.

  3. The role of disease characteristics in the ethical debate on personal genome testing

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    E.M. Bunnik (Eline); M.H.N. Schermer (Maartje); A.C.J.W. Janssens (Cécile)

    2012-01-01

    textabstractBackground: Companies are currently marketing personal genome tests directly-to-consumer that provide genetic susceptibility testing for a range of multifactorial diseases simultaneously. As these tests comprise multiple risk analyses for multiple diseases, they may be difficult to

  4. Neither as harmful as feared by critics nor as empowering as promised by providers: risk information offered direct to consumer by personal genomics companies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nordgren, Anders

    2014-01-01

    In this paper, I investigate ethical and policy aspects of the genetic services and web-rhetoric of companies offering genetic information direct to consumer, and I do so with a special focus on genetic risk information. On their websites, the companies stress that genetic risk testing for multifactorial complex medical conditions such as cardiovascular disease and cancer may empower the consumer and provide valuable input to personal identity. Critics maintain, on the other hand, that testing can be psychologically harmful, is of limited clinical and preventive value, and vulnerable to misinterpretation. I stress the importance of empirical studies in assessing the pros and cons of direct-to-consumer testing and point out that recent empirical studies indicate that this testing is neither as harmful as feared by critics nor as empowering as promised by the companies. However, the testing is not entirely harmless. Remaining problems include testing of third parties without consent and ownership of genotypic and phenotypic information. Moreover, the testing, although not particularly empowering, may still provide input to self-understanding that some people find valuable. Regarding policy-making, I suggest that self-regulation in terms of best practice guidelines may play an important role, but I also stress that national and international regulation may be necessary.

  5. Direct-to-consumer teledermatology services for pediatric patients: Room for improvement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fogel, Alexander L; Teng, Joyce; Sarin, Kavita Y

    2016-11-01

    Direct-to-consumer teledermatology is radically changing the way some patients obtain dermatologic care. Many direct-to-consumer teledermatology services offer care to patients younger than 18 years, but policies and standards are nonuniform. For pediatric patients, direct-to-consumer teledermatology is a substantial departure from in-person care. More consensus, standards, and guidelines are necessary. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Choice of Personal Assistance Services Providers by Medicare Beneficiaries Using a Consumer-Directed Benefit: Rural-Urban Differences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meng, Hongdao; Friedman, Bruce; Wamsley, Brenda R.; Van Nostrand, Joan F.; Eggert, Gerald M.

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: To examine the impact of an experimental consumer-choice voucher benefit on the selection of independent and agency personal assistance services (PAS) providers among rural and urban Medicare beneficiaries with disabilities. Methods: The Medicare Primary and Consumer-Directed Care Demonstration enrolled 1,605 Medicare beneficiaries in 19…

  7. Personal genome testing: Test characteristics to clarify the discourse on ethical, legal and societal issues

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Janssens A Cecile JW

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background As genetics technology proceeds, practices of genetic testing have become more heterogeneous: many different types of tests are finding their way to the public in different settings and for a variety of purposes. This diversification is relevant to the discourse on ethical, legal and societal issues (ELSI surrounding genetic testing, which must evolve to encompass these differences. One important development is the rise of personal genome testing on the basis of genetic profiling: the testing of multiple genetic variants simultaneously for the prediction of common multifactorial diseases. Currently, an increasing number of companies are offering personal genome tests directly to consumers and are spurring ELSI-discussions, which stand in need of clarification. This paper presents a systematic approach to the ELSI-evaluation of personal genome testing for multifactorial diseases along the lines of its test characteristics. Discussion This paper addresses four test characteristics of personal genome testing: its being a non-targeted type of testing, its high analytical validity, low clinical validity and problematic clinical utility. These characteristics raise their own specific ELSI, for example: non-targeted genetic profiling poses serious problems for information provision and informed consent. Questions about the quantity and quality of the necessary information, as well as about moral responsibilities with regard to the provision of information are therefore becoming central themes within ELSI-discussions of personal genome testing. Further, the current low level of clinical validity of genetic profiles raises questions concerning societal risks and regulatory requirements, whereas simultaneously it causes traditional ELSI-issues of clinical genetics, such as psychological and health risks, discrimination, and stigmatization, to lose part of their relevance. Also, classic notions of clinical utility are challenged by the

  8. The role of disease characteristics in the ethical debate on personal genome testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bunnik, Eline M; Schermer, Maartje Hn; Janssens, A Cecile J W

    2012-01-19

    Companies are currently marketing personal genome tests directly-to-consumer that provide genetic susceptibility testing for a range of multifactorial diseases simultaneously. As these tests comprise multiple risk analyses for multiple diseases, they may be difficult to evaluate. Insight into morally relevant differences between diseases will assist researchers, healthcare professionals, policy-makers and other stakeholders in the ethical evaluation of personal genome tests. In this paper, we identify and discuss four disease characteristics--severity, actionability, age of onset, and the somatic/psychiatric nature of disease--and show how these lead to specific ethical issues. By way of illustration, we apply this framework to genetic susceptibility testing for three diseases: type 2 diabetes, age-related macular degeneration and clinical depression. For these three diseases, we point out the ethical issues that are relevant to the question whether it is morally justifiable to offer genetic susceptibility testing to adults or to children or minors, and on what conditions. We conclude that the ethical evaluation of personal genome tests is challenging, for the ethical issues differ with the diseases tested for. An understanding of the ethical significance of disease characteristics will improve the ethical, legal and societal debate on personal genome testing.

  9. Personal Genomic Testing for Cancer Risk: Results From the Impact of Personal Genomics Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gray, Stacy W; Gollust, Sarah E; Carere, Deanna Alexis; Chen, Clara A; Cronin, Angel; Kalia, Sarah S; Rana, Huma Q; Ruffin, Mack T; Wang, Catharine; Roberts, J Scott; Green, Robert C

    2017-02-20

    Purpose Significant concerns exist regarding the potential for unwarranted behavior changes and the overuse of health care resources in response to direct-to-consumer personal genomic testing (PGT). However, little is known about customers' behaviors after PGT. Methods Longitudinal surveys were given to new customers of 23andMe (Mountain View, CA) and Pathway Genomics (San Diego, CA). Survey data were linked to individual-level PGT results through a secure data transfer process. Results Of the 1,042 customers who completed baseline and 6-month surveys (response rate, 71.2%), 762 had complete cancer-related data and were analyzed. Most customers reported that learning about their genetic risk of cancers was a motivation for testing (colorectal, 88%; prostate, 95%; breast, 94%). No customers tested positive for pathogenic mutations in highly penetrant cancer susceptibility genes. A minority of individuals received elevated single nucleotide polymorphism-based PGT cancer risk estimates (colorectal, 24%; prostate, 24%; breast, 12%). At 6 months, customers who received elevated PGT cancer risk estimates were not significantly more likely to change their diet, exercise, or advanced planning behaviors or engage in cancer screening, compared with individuals at average or reduced risk. Men who received elevated PGT prostate cancer risk estimates changed their vitamin and supplement use more than those at average or reduced risk (22% v 7.6%, respectively; adjusted odds ratio, 3.41; 95% CI, 1.44 to 8.18). Predictors of 6-month behavior include baseline behavior (exercise, vitamin or supplement use, and screening), worse health status (diet and vitamin or supplement use), and older age (advanced planning, screening). Conclusion Most adults receiving elevated direct-to-consumer PGT single nucleotide polymorphism-based cancer risk estimates did not significantly change their diet, exercise, advanced care planning, or cancer screening behaviors.

  10. Autobiologies on YouTube: Narratives of Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, Anna; Kelly, Susan E.; Wyatt, Sally

    2014-01-01

    Despite a growing personal genomics market, little is known about how people engage with the possibilities offered by direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing. In order to help address this gap, this study deploys narrative analysis of YouTube videos posted by individuals who have purchased DTC genetic testing for disease. Genetic testing is said to be contributing to new states of illness, where individuals may become “patients-in-waiting.” In the videos analyzed, we found a new form of storytelling about this ambiguous state of illness, which we refer to as autobiology. Autobiology – the study of, and story about, one's own biology – concerns narratives of sense-making through forms of biological practice, as well as wayfaring narratives which interweave genetic markers and family histories of disease. These autobiologies – part of a broader shift toward public stories about genetics and other healthcare technologies – exhibit playfulness, as well as being bound with consumerist practices. PMID:24772003

  11. The role of disease characteristics in the ethical debate on personal genome testing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bunnik Eline M

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Companies are currently marketing personal genome tests directly-to-consumer that provide genetic susceptibility testing for a range of multifactorial diseases simultaneously. As these tests comprise multiple risk analyses for multiple diseases, they may be difficult to evaluate. Insight into morally relevant differences between diseases will assist researchers, healthcare professionals, policy-makers and other stakeholders in the ethical evaluation of personal genome tests. Discussion In this paper, we identify and discuss four disease characteristics - severity, actionability, age of onset, and the somatic/psychiatric nature of disease - and show how these lead to specific ethical issues. By way of illustration, we apply this framework to genetic susceptibility testing for three diseases: type 2 diabetes, age-related macular degeneration and clinical depression. For these three diseases, we point out the ethical issues that are relevant to the question whether it is morally justifiable to offer genetic susceptibility testing to adults or to children or minors, and on what conditions. Summary We conclude that the ethical evaluation of personal genome tests is challenging, for the ethical issues differ with the diseases tested for. An understanding of the ethical significance of disease characteristics will improve the ethical, legal and societal debate on personal genome testing.

  12. Ethical issues in consumer genome sequencing: Use of consumers' samples and data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niemiec, Emilia; Howard, Heidi Carmen

    2016-03-01

    High throughput approaches such as whole genome sequencing (WGS) and whole exome sequencing (WES) create an unprecedented amount of data providing powerful resources for clinical care and research. Recently, WGS and WES services have been made available by commercial direct-to-consumer (DTC) companies. The DTC offer of genetic testing (GT) has already brought attention to potentially problematic issues such as the adequacy of consumers' informed consent and transparency of companies' research activities. In this study, we analysed the websites of four DTC GT companies offering WGS and/or WES with regard to their policies governing storage and future use of consumers' data and samples. The results are discussed in relation to recommendations and guiding principles such as the "Statement of the European Society of Human Genetics on DTC GT for health-related purposes" (2010) and the "Framework for responsible sharing of genomic and health-related data" (Global Alliance for Genomics and Health, 2014). The analysis reveals that some companies may store and use consumers' samples or sequencing data for unspecified research and share the data with third parties. Moreover, the companies do not provide sufficient or clear information to consumers about this, which can undermine the validity of the consent process. Furthermore, while all companies state that they provide privacy safeguards for data and mention the limitations of these, information about the possibility of re-identification is lacking. Finally, although the companies that may conduct research do include information regarding proprietary claims and commercialisation of the results, it is not clear whether consumers are aware of the consequences of these policies. These results indicate that DTC GT companies still need to improve the transparency regarding handling of consumers' samples and data, including having an explicit and clear consent process for research activities.

  13. Ethical issues in consumer genome sequencing: Use of consumers' samples and data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emilia Niemiec

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available High throughput approaches such as whole genome sequencing (WGS and whole exome sequencing (WES create an unprecedented amount of data providing powerful resources for clinical care and research. Recently, WGS and WES services have been made available by commercial direct-to-consumer (DTC companies. The DTC offer of genetic testing (GT has already brought attention to potentially problematic issues such as the adequacy of consumers' informed consent and transparency of companies' research activities. In this study, we analysed the websites of four DTC GT companies offering WGS and/or WES with regard to their policies governing storage and future use of consumers' data and samples. The results are discussed in relation to recommendations and guiding principles such as the “Statement of the European Society of Human Genetics on DTC GT for health-related purposes” (2010 and the “Framework for responsible sharing of genomic and health-related data” (Global Alliance for Genomics and Health, 2014. The analysis reveals that some companies may store and use consumers' samples or sequencing data for unspecified research and share the data with third parties. Moreover, the companies do not provide sufficient or clear information to consumers about this, which can undermine the validity of the consent process. Furthermore, while all companies state that they provide privacy safeguards for data and mention the limitations of these, information about the possibility of re-identification is lacking. Finally, although the companies that may conduct research do include information regarding proprietary claims and commercialisation of the results, it is not clear whether consumers are aware of the consequences of these policies. These results indicate that DTC GT companies still need to improve the transparency regarding handling of consumers' samples and data, including having an explicit and clear consent process for research activities.

  14. Direct-to-consumer advertising of pharmaceuticals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gellad, Ziad F; Lyles, Kenneth W

    2007-06-01

    Since the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released new guidelines on broadcast direct-to-consumer advertising in 1997, the prevalence of direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs has increased exponentially. The impact on providers, patients, and the health care system is varied and dynamic, and the rapid changes in the last several years have markedly altered the health care landscape. To continue providing optimal medical care, physicians and other health care providers must be able to manage this influence on their practice, and a more thorough understanding of this phenomenon is an integral step toward this goal. This review will summarize the history of direct-to-consumer drug advertisements and the current regulations governing them. It will summarize the evidence concerning the impact of direct-to-consumer advertising on the public, providers, and the health care system, and conclude with observations regarding the future of direct-to-consumer advertising.

  15. Australians' views on personal genomic testing: focus group findings from the Genioz study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Metcalfe, Sylvia A; Hickerton, Chriselle; Savard, Jacqueline; Terrill, Bronwyn; Turbitt, Erin; Gaff, Clara; Gray, Kathleen; Middleton, Anna; Wilson, Brenda; Newson, Ainsley J

    2018-04-30

    Personal genomic testing provides healthy individuals with access to information about their genetic makeup for purposes including ancestry, paternity, sporting ability and health. Such tests are available commercially and globally, with accessibility expected to continue to grow, including in Australia; yet little is known of the views/expectations of Australians. Focus groups were conducted within a multi-stage, cross-disciplinary project (Genioz) to explore this. In mid-2015, 56 members of the public participated in seven focus groups, allocated into three age groups: 18-24, 25-49, and ≥50 years. Three researchers coded transcripts independently and generated themes. Awareness of personal genomic testing was low, but most could deduce what "personal genomics" might entail. Very few had heard of the term "direct-to-consumer" testing, which has implications for organisations developing information to support individuals in their decision-making. Participants' understanding of genetics was varied and drawn from several sources. There were diverse perceptions of the relative influence of genetics and environment on health, mental health, behavior, talent, or personality. Views about having a personal genomic test were mixed, with greater interest in health-related tests if they believed there was a reason for doing so. However, many expressed scepticisms about the types of tests available, and how the information might be used; concerns were also raised about privacy and the potential for discrimination. These exploratory findings inform subsequent stages of the Genioz study, thereby contributing to strategies of supporting Australians to understand and make meaningful and well-considered decisions about the benefits, harms, and implications of personal genomic tests.

  16. How Well Do Customers of Direct-to-Consumer Personal Genomic Testing Services Comprehend Genetic Test Results? Findings from the Impact of Personal Genomics Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ostergren, Jenny E; Gornick, Michele C; Carere, Deanna Alexis; Kalia, Sarah S; Uhlmann, Wendy R; Ruffin, Mack T; Mountain, Joanna L; Green, Robert C; Roberts, J Scott

    2015-01-01

    To assess customer comprehension of health-related personal genomic testing (PGT) results. We presented sample reports of genetic results and examined responses to comprehension questions in 1,030 PGT customers (mean age: 46.7 years; 59.9% female; 79.0% college graduates; 14.9% non-White; 4.7% of Hispanic/Latino ethnicity). Sample reports presented a genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease and type 2 diabetes, carrier screening summary results for >30 conditions, results for phenylketonuria and cystic fibrosis, and drug response results for a statin drug. Logistic regression was used to identify correlates of participant comprehension. Participants exhibited high overall comprehension (mean score: 79.1% correct). The highest comprehension (range: 81.1-97.4% correct) was observed in the statin drug response and carrier screening summary results, and lower comprehension (range: 63.6-74.8% correct) on specific carrier screening results. Higher levels of numeracy, genetic knowledge, and education were significantly associated with greater comprehension. Older age (≥ 60 years) was associated with lower comprehension scores. Most customers accurately interpreted the health implications of PGT results; however, comprehension varied by demographic characteristics, numeracy and genetic knowledge, and types and format of the genetic information presented. Results suggest a need to tailor the presentation of PGT results by test type and customer characteristics. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  17. Genome technologies and personalized dental medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eng, G; Chen, A; Vess, T; Ginsburg, G S

    2012-04-01

    The addition of genomic information to our understanding of oral disease is driving important changes in oral health care. It is anticipated that genome-derived information will promote a deeper understanding of disease etiology and permit earlier diagnosis, allowing for preventative measures prior to disease onset rather than treatment that attempts to repair the diseased state. Advances in genome technologies have fueled expectations for this proactive healthcare approach. Application of genomic testing is expanding and has already begun to find its way into the practice of clinical dentistry. To take full advantage of the information and technologies currently available, it is vital that dental care providers, consumers, and policymakers be aware of genomic approaches to understanding of oral diseases and the application of genomic testing to disease diagnosis and treatment. Ethical, legal, clinical, and educational initiatives are also required to responsibly incorporate genomic information into the practice of dentistry. This article provides an overview of the application of genomic technologies to oral health care and introduces issues that require consideration if we are to realize the full potential of genomics to enable the practice of personalized dental medicine. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

  18. What Is Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing?

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... consumer genetic testing? What kinds of direct-to-consumer genetic tests are available? What is genetic ancestry testing? What are the benefits and risks of direct-to-consumer genetic testing? ...

  19. From genomic variation to personalized medicine

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wesolowska, Agata; Schmiegelow, Kjeld

    Genomic variation is the basis of interindividual differences in observable traits and disease susceptibility. Genetic studies are the driving force of personalized medicine, as many of the differences in treatment efficacy can be attributed to our genomic background. The rapid development...... a considerable amount of the phenotype variability, hence the major difficulty of interpretation lies in the complexity of molecular interactions. This PhD thesis describes the state-of-art of the functional human variation research (Chapter 1) and introduces childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL...... the thesis and includes some final remarks on the perspectives of genomic variation research and personalized medicine. In summary, this thesis demonstrates the feasibility of integrative analyses of genomic variations and introduces large-scale hypothesis-driven SNP exploration studies as an emerging...

  20. Current ethical and legal issues in health-related direct-to-consumer genetic testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niemiec, Emilia; Kalokairinou, Louiza; Howard, Heidi Carmen

    2017-09-01

    A variety of health-related genetic testing is currently advertized directly to consumers. This article provides a timely overview of direct-to-consumer genetic testing (DTC GT) and salient ethical issues, as well as an analysis of the impact of the recently adopted regulation on in vitro diagnostic medical devices on DTC GT. DTC GT companies currently employ new testing approaches, report on a wide spectrum of conditions and target new groups of consumers. Such activities raise ethical issues including the questionable analytic and clinical validity of tests, the adequacy of informed consent, potentially misleading advertizing, testing in children, research uses and commercialization of genomic data. The recently adopted regulation on in vitro diagnostic medical devices may limit the offers of predisposition DTC GT in the EU market.

  1. [Direct-to-consumer genetic testing through Internet: marketing, ethical and social issues].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ducournau, Pascal; Gourraud, Pierre-Antoine; Rial-Sebbag, Emmanuelle; Bulle, Alexandre; Cambon-Thomsen, Anne

    2011-01-01

    We probably did not anticipate all the consequences of the direct to consumer genetic tests on Internet, resulting from the combined skills of communication and genomic advances. What are the commercial strategies used by the companies offering direct-to-consumer genetic tests on Internet and what are the different social expectations on which they focus? Through a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the web sites offering such tests, it seems that these companies target a triple market based on: the "healthism" which raises health and hygiene to the top of the social values; the contemporary demands of the users to become actual actors of health decisions; and finally on the need for bio-social relationships. These three commercial strategies underlie various ethical and societal issues justifying a general analysis.

  2. Direct-to-consumer (DTC) antidepressant advertising and consumer misperceptions about the chemical imbalance theory of depression: the moderating role of skepticism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Jin Seong; Ahn, Ho-Young Anthony

    2013-01-01

    Based on a survey with members of an online consumer panel (N= 699), this study revealed that: (a) a substantial percentage of consumers held misperceptions about the chemical imbalance theory of depression; (b) personal and interpersonal experiences with depression positively related to such misperceptions; (c) overall, exposure to direct-to-consumer (DTC) antidepressant advertising did not significantly relate to misperceptions; and (d) DTC exposure magnified misperceptions when consumers were highly trustful of DTC advertising, whereas exposure diluted misperceptions when consumers were highly skeptical. Theoretical and practical implications of the research are discussed, especially in light of the social responsibility of DTC advertising.

  3. Adopting genetics: motivations and outcomes of personal genomic testing in adult adoptees.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baptista, Natalie M; Christensen, Kurt D; Carere, Deanna Alexis; Broadley, Simon A; Roberts, J Scott; Green, Robert C

    2016-09-01

    American adult adoptees may possess limited information about their biological families and turn to direct-to-consumer personal genomic testing (PGT) for genealogical and medical information. We investigated the motivations and outcomes of adoptees undergoing PGT using data from the Impact of Personal Genomics (PGen) Study. The PGen Study surveyed new 23andMe and Pathway Genomics customers before and 6 months after receiving PGT results. Exploratory analyses compared adoptees' and nonadoptees' PGT attitudes, expectations, and experiences. We evaluated the association of adoption status with motivations for testing and postdisclosure actions using logistic regression models. Of 1,607 participants, 80 (5%) were adopted. As compared with nonadoptees, adoptees were more likely to cite limited knowledge of family health history (OR = 10.1; 95% CI = 5.7-19.5) and the opportunity to learn genetic disease risks (OR = 2.7; 95% CI = 1.6-4.8) as strong motivations for PGT. Of 922 participants who completed 6-month follow-up, there was no significant association between adoption status and PGT-motivated health-care utilization or health-behavior change. PGT allows adoptees to gain otherwise inaccessible information about their genetic disease risks and ancestry, helping them to fill the void of an incomplete family health history.Genet Med 18 9, 924-932.

  4. Predicting personality traits related to consumer behavior using SNS analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baik, Jongbum; Lee, Kangbok; Lee, Soowon; Kim, Yongbum; Choi, Jayoung

    2016-07-01

    Modeling a user profile is one of the important factors for devising a personalized recommendation. The traditional approach for modeling a user profile in computer science is to collect and generalize the user's buying behavior or preference history, generated from the user's interactions with recommender systems. According to consumer behavior research, however, internal factors such as personality traits influence a consumer's buying behavior. Existing studies have tried to adapt the Big 5 personality traits to personalized recommendations. However, although studies have shown that these traits can be useful to some extent for personalized recommendation, the causal relationship between the Big 5 personality traits and the buying behaviors of actual consumers has not been validated. In this paper, we propose a novel method for predicting the four personality traits-Extroversion, Public Self-consciousness, Desire for Uniqueness, and Self-esteem-that correlate with buying behaviors. The proposed method automatically constructs a user-personality-traits prediction model for each user by analyzing the user behavior on a social networking service. The experimental results from an analysis of the collected Facebook data show that the proposed method can predict user-personality traits with greater precision than methods that use the variables proposed in previous studies.

  5. Effect of co-payment on behavioral response to consumer genomic testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Wendy; Outlaw, Jessica J; Wineinger, Nathan; Boeldt, Debra; Bloss, Cinnamon S

    2018-01-29

    Existing research in consumer behavior suggests that perceptions and usage of a product post-purchase depends, in part, on how the product was marketed, including price paid. In the current study, we examine the effect of providing an out-of-pocket co-payment for consumer genomic testing (CGT) on consumer post-purchase behavior using both correlational field evidence and a hypothetical online experiment. Participants were enrolled in a longitudinal cohort study of the impact of CGT and completed behavioral assessments before and after receipt of CGT results. Most participants provided a co-payment for the test (N = 1668), while others (N = 369) received fully subsidized testing. The two groups were compared regarding changes in health behaviors and post-test use of health care resources. Participants who paid were more likely to share results with their physician (p = .012) and obtain follow-up health screenings (p = .005) relative to those who received fully subsidized testing. A follow-up online experiment in which participants (N = 303) were randomized to a "fully-subsidized" versus "co-payment" condition found that simulating provision of a co-payment significantly increased intentions to seek follow-up screening tests (p = .050) and perceptions of the test results as more trustworthy (p = .02). Provision of an out-of-pocket co-payment for CGT may influence consumer's post-purchase behavior consistent with a price placebo effect. Cognitive dissonance or sunk cost may help explain the increase in screening propensity among paying consumers. Such individuals may obtain follow-up screenings to validate their initial decision to expend personal resources to obtain CGT. © Society of Behavioral Medicine 2018.

  6. Nutrigenomics and ethics interface: direct-to-consumer services and commercial aspects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ries, Nola M; Castle, David

    2008-12-01

    A growing variety and number of genetic tests are advertised and sold directly to consumers (DTC) via the Internet, including nutrigenomic tests and associated products and services. Consumers have more access to genetic information about themselves, but access does not entail certainty about the implications of test results. Potential personal and public health harms and benefits are associated with DTC access to genetic testing services. Early policy responses to direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing often involved calls for bans, and some jurisdictions prohibited DTC genetic tests. Recent policy responses by oversight bodies acknowledge expansion in the range of DTC tests available and suggest that a "one-size-fits-all" regulatory approach is not appropriate for all genetic tests. This review discusses ethical and regulatory aspects of DTC genetic testing, focusing particularly on nutrigenomic tests. We identify policy options for regulating DTC genetic tests, including full or partial prohibitions, enforcement of existing truth-in-advertising laws, and more comprehensive information disclosure about genetic tests. We advocate the latter option as an important means to improve transparency about current evidence on the strengths and limits of gene-disease associations and allow consumers to make informed purchasing decisions in the DTC marketplace.

  7. Evidence that personal genome testing enhances student learning in a course on genomics and personalized medicine.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Keyan Salari

    Full Text Available An emerging debate in academic medical centers is not about the need for providing trainees with fundamental education on genomics, but rather the most effective educational models that should be deployed. At Stanford School of Medicine, a novel hands-on genomics course was developed in 2010 that provided students the option to undergo personal genome testing as part of the course curriculum. We hypothesized that use of personal genome testing in the classroom would enhance the learning experience of students. No data currently exist on how such methods impact student learning; thus, we surveyed students before and after the course to determine its impact. We analyzed responses using paired statistics from the 31 medical and graduate students who completed both pre-course and post-course surveys. Participants were stratified by those who did (N = 23 or did not (N = 8 undergo personal genome testing. In reflecting on the experience, 83% of students who underwent testing stated that they were pleased with their decision compared to 12.5% of students who decided against testing (P = 0.00058. Seventy percent of those who underwent personal genome testing self-reported a better understanding of human genetics on the basis of having undergone testing. Further, students who underwent personal genome testing demonstrated an average 31% increase in pre- to post-course scores on knowledge questions (P = 3.5×10(-6; this was significantly higher (P = 0.003 than students who did not undergo testing, who showed a non-significant improvement. Undergoing personal genome testing and using personal genotype data in the classroom enhanced students' self-reported and assessed knowledge of genomics, and did not appear to cause significant anxiety. At least for self-selected students, the incorporation of personal genome testing can be an effective educational tool to teach important concepts of clinical genomic testing.

  8. Applications of direct-to-consumer hearing devices for adults with hearing loss: a review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Manchaiah V

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Vinaya Manchaiah,1–4 Brian Taylor,5 Ashley L Dockens,1 Nicole R Tran,1 Kayla Lane,1 Mariana Castle,1 Vibhu Grover1 1Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Lamar University, Beaumont, TX, USA; 2The Swedish Institute for Disability Research, Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden; 3Audiology India, Mysore, 4Department of Speech and Hearing, School of Allied Health Sciences, Manipal University, Manipal, India; 5Taylor Audio LLC, Minneapolis, MN, USA Background: This systematic literature review is aimed at investigating applications of direct-to-consumer hearing devices for adults with hearing loss. This review discusses three categories of direct-to-consumer hearing devices: 1 personal sound amplification products (PSAPs, 2 direct-mail hearing aids, and 3 over-the-counter (OTC hearing aids.Method: A literature review was conducted using EBSCOhost and included the databases CINAHL, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO. After applying prior agreed inclusion and exclusion criteria, 13 reports were included in the review.Results: Included studies fell into three domains: 1 electroacoustic characteristics, 2 consumer surveys, and 3 outcome evaluations. Electroacoustic characteristics of these devices vary significantly with some meeting the stringent acoustic criteria used for hearing aids, while others producing dangerous output levels (ie, over 120-dB sound pressure level. Low-end (or low-cost devices were typically poor in acoustic quality and did not meet gain levels necessary for most adult and elderly hearing loss patterns (eg, presbycusis, especially in high frequencies. Despite direct-mail hearing aids and PSAPs being associated with lower satisfaction when compared to hearing aids purchased through hearing health care professionals, consumer surveys suggest that 5%–19% of people with hearing loss purchase hearing aids through direct-mail or online. Studies on outcome evaluation suggest positive

  9. Playing with heart and soul…and genomes: sports implications and applications of personal genomics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wagner, Jennifer K

    2013-01-01

    Whether the integration of genetic/omic technologies in sports contexts will facilitate player success, promote player safety, or spur genetic discrimination depends largely upon the game rules established by those currently designing genomic sports medicine programs. The integration has already begun, but there is not yet a playbook for best practices. Thus far discussions have focused largely on whether the integration would occur and how to prevent the integration from occurring, rather than how it could occur in such a way that maximizes benefits, minimizes risks, and avoids the exacerbation of racial disparities. Previous empirical research has identified members of the personal genomics industry offering sports-related DNA tests, and previous legal research has explored the impact of collective bargaining in professional sports as it relates to the employment protections of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA). Building upon that research and upon participant observations with specific sports-related DNA tests purchased from four direct-to-consumer companies in 2011 and broader personal genomics (PGx) services, this anthropological, legal, and ethical (ALE) discussion highlights fundamental issues that must be addressed by those developing personal genomic sports medicine programs, either independently or through collaborations with commercial providers. For example, the vulnerability of student-athletes creates a number of issues that require careful, deliberate consideration. More broadly, however, this ALE discussion highlights potential sports-related implications (that ultimately might mitigate or, conversely, exacerbate racial disparities among athletes) of whole exome/genome sequencing conducted by biomedical researchers and clinicians for non-sports purposes. For example, the possibility that exome/genome sequencing of individuals who are considered to be non-patients, asymptomatic, normal, etc. will reveal the presence of variants of

  10. The economics of direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription-only drugs: prescribed to improve consumer welfare?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morgan, Steven; Mintzes, Barbara; Barer, Morris

    2003-10-01

    According to economic theory, one might expect that the informational content of direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription-only drugs would improve consumers' welfare. However, contrasting the models of consumer and market behaviour underlying this theory with the realities of the prescription-only drug market reveals that this market is distinct in ways that render it unlikely that advertising will serve an unbiased and strictly informative function. A review of qualitative evidence regarding the informational content of drug advertising supports this conclusion. Direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising concentrates on particular products, and features of those products, to the exclusion of others, and the information provided has frequently been found to be biased or misleading in regulatory and academic evaluations. Governments that have so far resisted direct-to-consumer advertising should invest in independent sources of evidence that could help consumers and professionals to better understand the risks and benefits of treating disease with alternative drug and non-drug therapies, rather than permitting direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising.

  11. ATTITUDES OF THE CONSUMERS REGARDING THE PROCESSING AND EMPLOYMENT OF THEIR PERSONAL DATA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rusescu Marius

    2010-07-01

    Full Text Available The concept of privacy, seen in connection with the consumer's private space, and defined in terms of the specific personal data has gained an increasing importance, as a result of the organizations’ extended attempts, within their marketing efforts, to capture, process and use the consumers’ personal data. Paper explores the attitudes of the consumers regarding their personal data in terms of their disclosure, previous agreement consumers should grant to the companies or public institutions (authorities processing them, employment, registration and processing by the companies, and buying products and/or services as a result of a direct approach.

  12. Direct to consumer genetic testing and the libertarian right to test.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loi, Michele

    2016-09-01

    I sketch a libertarian argument for the right to test in the context of 'direct to consumer' (DTC) genetic testing. A libertarian right to genetic tests, as defined here, relies on the idea of a moral right to self-ownership. I show how a libertarian right to test can be inferred from this general libertarian premise, at least as a prima facie right, shifting the burden of justification on regulators. I distinguish this distinctively libertarian position from some arguments based on considerations of utility or autonomy, which are sometimes labelled 'libertarian' because they oppose a tight regulation of the direct to consumer genetic testing sector. If one takes the libertarian right to test as a starting point, the whole discussion concerning autonomy and personal utility may be sidestepped. Finally, I briefly consider some considerations that justify the regulation of the DTC genetic testing market, compatible with the recognition of a prima facie right to test. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

  13. Dealing with the unexpected: consumer responses to direct-access BRCA mutation testing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Uta Francke

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available Background. Inherited BRCA gene mutations convey a high risk for breast and ovarian cancer, but current guidelines limit BRCA mutation testing to women with early-onset cancer and relatives of mutation-positive cases. Benefits and risks of providing this information directly to consumers are unknown.Methods. To assess and quantify emotional and behavioral reactions of consumers to their 23andMe Personal Genome Service® report of three BRCA mutations that are common in Ashkenazi Jews, we invited all 136 BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation-positive individuals in the 23andMe customer database who had chosen to view their BRCA reports to participate in this IRB-approved study. We also invited 160 mutation-negative customers who were matched for age, sex and ancestry. Semi-structured phone interviews were completed for 32 mutation carriers, 16 women and 16 men, and 31 non-carriers. Questions addressed personal and family history of cancer, decision and timing of viewing the BRCA report, recollection of the result, emotional responses, perception of personal cancer risk, information sharing, and actions taken or planned.Results. Eleven women and 14 men had received the unexpected result that they are carriers of a BRCA1 185delAG or 5382insC, or BRCA2 6174delT mutation. None of them reported extreme anxiety and four experienced moderate anxiety that was transitory. Remarkably, five women and six men described their response as neutral. Most carrier women sought medical advice and four underwent risk-reducing procedures after confirmatory mutation testing. Male carriers realized that their test results implied genetic risk for female relatives, and several of them felt considerably burdened by this fact. Sharing mutation information with family members led to screening of at least 30 relatives and identification of 13 additional carriers. Non-carriers did not report inappropriate actions, such as foregoing cancer screening. All but one of the 32 mutation

  14. Dealing with the unexpected: consumer responses to direct-access BRCA mutation testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Francke, Uta; Dijamco, Cheri; Kiefer, Amy K; Eriksson, Nicholas; Moiseff, Bianca; Tung, Joyce Y; Mountain, Joanna L

    2013-01-01

    Background. Inherited BRCA gene mutations convey a high risk for breast and ovarian cancer, but current guidelines limit BRCA mutation testing to women with early-onset cancer and relatives of mutation-positive cases. Benefits and risks of providing this information directly to consumers are unknown. Methods. To assess and quantify emotional and behavioral reactions of consumers to their 23andMe Personal Genome Service(®) report of three BRCA mutations that are common in Ashkenazi Jews, we invited all 136 BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation-positive individuals in the 23andMe customer database who had chosen to view their BRCA reports to participate in this IRB-approved study. We also invited 160 mutation-negative customers who were matched for age, sex and ancestry. Semi-structured phone interviews were completed for 32 mutation carriers, 16 women and 16 men, and 31 non-carriers. Questions addressed personal and family history of cancer, decision and timing of viewing the BRCA report, recollection of the result, emotional responses, perception of personal cancer risk, information sharing, and actions taken or planned. Results. Eleven women and 14 men had received the unexpected result that they are carriers of a BRCA1 185delAG or 5382insC, or BRCA2 6174delT mutation. None of them reported extreme anxiety and four experienced moderate anxiety that was transitory. Remarkably, five women and six men described their response as neutral. Most carrier women sought medical advice and four underwent risk-reducing procedures after confirmatory mutation testing. Male carriers realized that their test results implied genetic risk for female relatives, and several of them felt considerably burdened by this fact. Sharing mutation information with family members led to screening of at least 30 relatives and identification of 13 additional carriers. Non-carriers did not report inappropriate actions, such as foregoing cancer screening. All but one of the 32 mutation-positive participants

  15. [Direct to consumer genetic testing: is it the moment?].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lamoril, Jérôme; Bogard, Marc

    2016-01-01

    Since the development of new human genome sequencing technologies at the beginning of the 2000, commercial companies have developped direct to consumer genomic services, which means without medical prescription. From 2007 to 2013, many companies have offered services assesing associated risk with human public health in the world especially in the United States. This kind of company is forbidden in France. From 2009 to 2013, in United States, under the pressure of national or state health administrations, these companies have been progressively forbidden. However, in certain parts of the world, companies are still offering such services. The latter raise many different questions such as ethical, juridical, medical, scientific, educative, professional one. Many studies and debates have demonstrated their limit and the lack of usefulness and advantage in the field of human health for the time being. The commercialization of this type of services has arrived all too soon et is not yet ripe. In our time of globalization, with the lack of international rules controlling direct access to genetic services in the field of human health, there is an urgent need to regulate. International administrations and politicians must act fast. Inevitably, under the pressure of lobbies and citizens, companies (multinational or not) will develop especially as 1) new sequencing technologies evolve rapidly, 2) are cheaper from year to year, 3) scientific and medical knowledges are progressing quickly, 4) services are spreading faster through the web and other networks.

  16. Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing: Helping Patients Make Informed Choices
.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahon, Suzanne M

    2018-02-01

    Using direct-to-consumer genetic testing (DTCGT), individuals can order a genetic test, collect and submit a saliva sample, and obtain results about their genetic risk for a variety of traits and health conditions without involving a healthcare provider. Potential benefits of DTCGT include personal control over genetic information and health management decisions, whereas potential risks include misinterpretation of results, psychosocial distress, and lack of informed consent. Oncology nurses can provide education, support, and advocacy to enable patients to truly understand the positives and negatives associated with DTCGT.
.

  17. What Is Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing?

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... consumer genetic testing. Additional information about direct-to-consumer marketing of genetic tests and related research questions are ... for Links Data Files & API Site Map Subscribe Customer Support USA.gov Copyright Privacy Accessibility FOIA Viewers & ...

  18. Personalized medicine: new genomics, old lessons

    OpenAIRE

    Offit, Kenneth

    2011-01-01

    Personalized medicine uses traditional, as well as emerging concepts of the genetic and environmental basis of disease to individualize prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Personalized genomics plays a vital, but not exclusive role in this evolving model of personalized medicine. The distinctions between genetic and genomic medicine are more quantitative than qualitative. Personalized genomics builds on principles established by the integration of genetics into medical practice. Principles s...

  19. Direct experience and the strength of the personal norm - behaviour relationship

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thøgersen, John

    2002-01-01

    norms on behavior, and (ii) direct experience is a stronger moderator in this case than in the attitude-behavior case. The case in question is the purchase of organic red wine. It is found that the outcome of consumers' choice between organic and non-organic wine depends on their personal (moral) norms......This study investigates whether the behavioral influence of personal norms with regard to repeated pro-social behavior depends on direct experience of this behavior. Based on previous norm and attitude research, it is hypothesized that (i) direct experience strengthens the influence of personal......, after controlling for attitudes and subjective social norms. However, the influence of personal norms, though not of attitude, depends on whether the consumer has direct experience of buying organic red wine. Hence, both hypotheses are confirmed....

  20. Direct-to-consumer marketing of psychological treatments for anxiety disorders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gallo, Kaitlin P; Comer, Jonathan S; Barlow, David H

    2013-12-01

    Progress disseminating and implementing evidence-based psychological treatments (EBPTs) for the anxiety disorders has been gradual. To date, the dominant approach for promoting the uptake of EBPTs in clinical settings has been to target the education and training of mental health providers, with many consumers remaining unaware of the potential benefits of EBPTs for anxiety disorders. Direct-to-consumer (DTC) marketing may be a promising vehicle for increasing EBPT utilization rates in the treatment of anxiety disorders. This paper provides an overview of the rationale and important considerations for applying DTC efforts to promote evidence-based care in the treatment of anxiety disorders, and reviews current DTC efforts in this area, including resources on the Internet and other media and in-person events. We conclude with recommendations for future efforts in the DTC marketing of EBPTs for the anxiety disorders, including the need for increased funding and grassroots efforts to inform consumers about anxiety disorders and their most effective treatments. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. You want to do what? My mother's choice to have direct-to-consumer genetic testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Varga, Elizabeth A

    2012-06-01

    As a genetic counselor, I had mixed opinions when my mother told me of her intent to undergo genomewide, SNP-based direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing. I cautioned her that results could be misleading, could increase anxiety and were often of limited clinical validity or utility. I warned of the possibility of learning unintended health information and expressed concerns about how the information might be used by a private company. I told her about the variability in results among companies. Yet, she persisted in her desire, reminding me that she was an informed consumer. After reviewing her goals and understanding of the information she might receive, she elected to proceed. Despite my insistence that I would not be her personal genetic counselor, when the results came back, I found myself immersed in her genetic data. In this manuscript, I will examine how this personal experience challenged my perceptions of DTC testing.

  2. Consumers on the Internet: ethical and legal aspects of commercialization of personalized nutrition

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ahlgren, J.; Nordgren, A.; Perrudin, M.; Ronteltap, A.; Savigny, J.; Trijp, van J.C.M.; Nordström, K.; Görman, U.

    2013-01-01

    Consumers often have a positive attitude to the option of receiving personalized nutrition advice based upon genetic testing, since the prospect of enhancing or maintaining one’s health can be perceived as empowering. Current direct-to-consumer services over the Internet, however, suffer from a

  3. Privacy Challenges of Genomic Big Data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shen, Hong; Ma, Jian

    2017-01-01

    With the rapid advancement of high-throughput DNA sequencing technologies, genomics has become a big data discipline where large-scale genetic information of human individuals can be obtained efficiently with low cost. However, such massive amount of personal genomic data creates tremendous challenge for privacy, especially given the emergence of direct-to-consumer (DTC) industry that provides genetic testing services. Here we review the recent development in genomic big data and its implications on privacy. We also discuss the current dilemmas and future challenges of genomic privacy.

  4. Exploring Healthcare Consumer Acceptance of Personal Health Information Management Technology through Personal Health Record Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Huijuan

    2013-01-01

    Healthcare technologies are evolving from a practitioner-centric model to a patient-centric model due to the increasing need for technology that directly serves healthcare consumers, including healthy people and patients. Personal health information management (PHIM) technology is one of the technologies designed to enhance an individual's ability…

  5. Direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising: history, regulation, and issues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huh, Jisu; DeLorme, Denise E; Reid, Leonard N; An, Soontae

    2010-03-01

    Direct-to-consumer advertising has changed the way prescription drugs are marketed in the United States. This article traces the history of direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription and over-the-counter medications and describes how drug advertising is regulated and by whom. It also discusses the controversies that surround direct-to-consumer marketing of prescription drugs.

  6. Closure of population biobanks and direct-to-consumer genetic testing companies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zawati, Ma'n H; Borry, Pascal; Howard, Heidi Carmen

    2011-09-01

    Genetic research gained new momentum with the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003. Formerly centered on the investigation of single-gene disorders, genetic research is increasingly targeting common complex diseases and in doing so is studying the whole genome, the environment and its impact on genomic variation. Consequently, biobanking initiatives have emerged around the world as a tool to sustain such progress. Whether they are small scale or longitudinal, public or private, commercial or non-commercial, biobanks should consider the possibility of closure. Interestingly, while raising important ethical issues, this topic has hardly been explored in the literature. Indeed, ethical issues associated with sale, insolvency, end of funding, or transfer of materials to other entities (which are all issues either related to or possible consequences of closure) are seldom the subject of discussion. In an attempt to fill this gap, this paper will discuss-using population and direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing companies' biobanks as case studies-(1) international and national normative documents addressing the issue of closure and (2) the internal policies of population biobanks and DTC genetic testing companies. The analysis will inform the debate on biobank closure and elucidate the underlying ethical issues, which include, but are not limited to informed consent, storage and privacy.

  7. Consumers' intention to use health recommendation systems to receive personalized nutrition advice

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    S. Wendel (Sonja); B.G.C. Dellaert (Benedict); A. Ronteltap (Amber); H.C.M. van Trijp (Hans)

    2013-01-01

    textabstractBackground: Sophisticated recommendation systems are used more and more in the health sector to assist consumers in healthy decision making. In this study we investigate consumers' evaluation of hypothetical health recommendation systems that provide personalized nutrition advice. We

  8. Applications of direct-to-consumer hearing devices for adults with hearing loss: a review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manchaiah, Vinaya; Taylor, Brian; Dockens, Ashley L; Tran, Nicole R; Lane, Kayla; Castle, Mariana; Grover, Vibhu

    2017-01-01

    Background This systematic literature review is aimed at investigating applications of direct-to-consumer hearing devices for adults with hearing loss. This review discusses three categories of direct-to-consumer hearing devices: 1) personal sound amplification products (PSAPs), 2) direct-mail hearing aids, and 3) over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids. Method A literature review was conducted using EBSCOhost and included the databases CINAHL, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO. After applying prior agreed inclusion and exclusion criteria, 13 reports were included in the review. Results Included studies fell into three domains: 1) electroacoustic characteristics, 2) consumer surveys, and 3) outcome evaluations. Electroacoustic characteristics of these devices vary significantly with some meeting the stringent acoustic criteria used for hearing aids, while others producing dangerous output levels (ie, over 120-dB sound pressure level). Low-end (or low-cost) devices were typically poor in acoustic quality and did not meet gain levels necessary for most adult and elderly hearing loss patterns (eg, presbycusis), especially in high frequencies. Despite direct-mail hearing aids and PSAPs being associated with lower satisfaction when compared to hearing aids purchased through hearing health care professionals, consumer surveys suggest that 5%–19% of people with hearing loss purchase hearing aids through direct-mail or online. Studies on outcome evaluation suggest positive outcomes of OTC devices in the elderly population. Of note, OTC outcomes appear better when a hearing health care professional supports these users. Conclusion While some direct-to-consumer hearing devices have the capability to produce adverse effects due to production of dangerously high sound levels and internal noise, the existing literature suggests that there are potential benefits of these devices. Research of direct-to-consumer hearing devices is limited, and current published studies are of weak quality. Much

  9. Direct-to-consumer genetic testing: perceptions, problems, and policy responses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caulfield, Timothy; McGuire, Amy L

    2012-01-01

    Direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing has attracted a great amount of attention from policy makers, the scientific community, professional groups, and the media. Although it is unclear what the public demand is for these services, there does appear to be public interest in personal genetic risk information. As a result, many commentators have raised a variety of social, ethical, and regulatory issues associated with this emerging industry, including privacy issues, ensuring that DTC companies provide accurate information about the risks and limitations of their services, the possible adverse impact of DTC genetic testing on healthcare systems, and concern about how individuals may interpret and react to genetic risk information.

  10. The ADR Directive: designed to fail? A hole-ridden stairway to consumer justice

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Luzak, J.

    2016-01-01

    The European legislator adopted the new Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Directive with an aim to create an additional, attractive stairway to consumer justice. As such, the ADR Directive intends to encourage more consumers to invoke their consumer rights and thus strengthen consumer law

  11. Direct-to-consumer advertising: its effects on stakeholders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montoya, Isaac D; Lee-Dukes, Gwen; Shah, Dhvani

    2008-01-01

    The escalating growth in the development of pharmaceutical drugs has caused the pharmaceutical industry to market drugs directly to consumers. Direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising has increased immensely in the past 15 years and continues to grow each year. The advantages of DTC advertising include an increase in consumer knowledge, patient autonomy, and possibly providing physicians and pharmacists with up-to-date information about the recent trends in the marketplace. However, there is also an equally notable list of disadvantages, which include concerns about the quality of information provided, loss in physician productivity due to time spent convincing patients that what they want is not in their best interest, and increases in the reimbursement expenditure of the insurers. Because of these conflicting outcomes, the issue of DTC advertising has become controversial. This report offers an overview of DTC advertising and focuses on its effects on physicians, pharmacists, consumers, insurers, the government, and pharmaceutical manufacturers.

  12. Ultrafast comparison of personal genomes

    OpenAIRE

    Mauldin, Denise; Hood, Leroy; Robinson, Max; Glusman, Gustavo

    2017-01-01

    We present an ultra-fast method for comparing personal genomes. We transform the standard genome representation (lists of variants relative to a reference) into 'genome fingerprints' that can be readily compared across sequencing technologies and reference versions. Because of their reduced size, computation on the genome fingerprints is fast and requires little memory. This enables scaling up a variety of important genome analyses, including quantifying relatedness, recognizing duplicative s...

  13. HOW BRAND PERSONALITY INFLUENCES CONSUMER'S BRAND PREFERENCE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Țichindelean

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of the present paper is to identify if the congruence of the consumers personality with the perceived brand per-sonality increases their brand preferences. To achieve this purpose, the paper was structured in two parts; the first part contains a general literature review of the consumer behaviour theory and its influence factors and a more specific one regarding the consumer’s and brand personality concepts. The second part describes the used research methodology for achieving the paper’s purpose. The results of the underlying exploratory research confirmed the hypothesis that an overlapping of the consumers’ personality and the brand personality they perceive is positively correlated with their brand preferences.

  14. Direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frosch, Dominick L; Grande, David

    2010-01-01

    In 2007, the pharmaceutical industry spent more than $4.9 billion on direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription drugs in the U.S. Controversy over DTCA has grown since the Food and Drug Administration liberalized its regulations in 1997. Proponents claim that such advertising educates consumers, promotes patient participation in clinical decisions, and improves patient adherence to medication instructions. Opponents argue that such advertising is meant to persuade, not educate, and that it promotes inappropriate use of prescription drugs, or diverts consumers from better alternatives. This Issue Brief summarizes the evidence about the effects of DTCA, and proposes guidelines for improving the utility of prescription drug advertising.

  15. Comparing consumer-directed and agency models for providing supportive services at home.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benjamin, A E; Matthias, R; Franke, T M

    2000-04-01

    To examine the service experiences and outcomes of low-income Medicaid beneficiaries with disabilities under two different models for organizing home-based personal assistance services: agency-directed and consumer-directed. A survey of a random sample of 1,095 clients, age 18 and over, who receive services in California's In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program funded primarily by Medicaid. Other data were obtained from the California Management and Payrolling System (CMIPS). The sample was stratified by service model (agency-directed or consumer-directed), client age (over or under age 65), and severity. Data were collected on client demographics, condition/functional status, and supportive service experience. Outcome measures were developed in three areas: safety, unmet need, and service satisfaction. Factor analysis was used to reduce multiple outcome measures to nine dimensions. Multiple regression analysis was used to assess the effect of service model on each outcome dimension, taking into account the client-provider relationship, client demographics, and case mix. Recipients of IHSS services as of mid-1996 were interviewed by telephone. The survey was conducted in late 1996 and early 1997. On various outcomes, recipients in the consumer-directed model report more positive outcomes than those in the agency model, or they report no difference. Statistically significant differences emerge on recipient safety, unmet needs, and service satisfaction. A family member present as a paid provider is also associated with more positive reported outcomes within the consumer-directed model, but model differences persist even when this is taken into account. Although both models have strengths and weaknesses, from a recipient perspective the consumer-directed model is associated with more positive outcomes. Although health professionals have expressed concerns about the capacity of consumer direction to assure quality, particularly with respect to safety, meeting unmet

  16. Direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising and the public.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bell, R A; Kravitz, R L; Wilkes, M S

    1999-11-01

    Drug manufacturers are intensely promoting their products directly to consumers, but the impact has not been widely studied. Consumers' awareness and understanding of, attitudes toward, and susceptibility to direct-to-consumer (DTC) drug advertising were examined. Random-digit dialing telephone survey with a random household member selection procedure (completion and response rates, 58% and 69%, respectively). Respondents were interviewed while they were at their residences. Complete data were obtained from 329 adults in Sacramento County, California. Outcome measures included awareness of advertisements for 10 selected drugs, misconceptions about DTC advertising, attitudes toward DTC ads, and behavioral responses to such promotions. The influence of demographic characteristics, health status, attitudes, beliefs, and media exposure on awareness and behaviors was examined. On average, respondents were aware of advertisements for 3.7 of the 10 drugs; awareness varied from 8% for Buspar (buspirone) to 72% for Claritin (loratadine). Awareness was associated with prescription drug use, media exposure, positive attitudes toward DTC advertising, poorer health, and insurance status. Substantial misconceptions were revealed; e.g., 43% thought that only "completely safe" drugs could be advertised. Direct-to-consumer advertisements had led one third of respondents to ask their physicians for drug information and one fifth to request a prescription. Direct-to-consumer advertisements are reaching the public, but selectively so, and affecting their behaviors. Implications for public policy are examined.

  17. Consumers in Slovenia: values, personality types and consumerist attitudes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tomaž Kolar

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available The aim of our paper is to investigate the links between terminal and instrumental values, personality types, consumer attitudes and behavior that are relevant to marketing decision-making. The understanding of the personality and values of individual consumers should enable us to predict their preferences and behavior. Our set of consumer attitudes and behavior includes reported peer influence on shopping behavior, consumer ethnocentrism, value shopping and hedonism in shopping. Two multidimensional statistical approaches are considered: a cluster analysis of the individual’s personality and values and a factor analysis of consumer attitudes and behavior. An analysis of data from a representative sample of 1,094 Slovenian consumers (PGM, Valicon, 2007 reveals five clusters: conscientious-non-agreeable consumers differ in their consumer attitudes from extroversive consumers, neurotic-with-low-values, open-with-high-values and agreeable-conscious-non-open consumers. Implications for marketing decision-making and strategy development are considered, together with a possible extension of the study to multiple national groups of consumers from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE.

  18. Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Advertising and the Public

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bell, Robert A; Kravitz, Richard L; Wilkes, Michael S

    1999-01-01

    OBJECTIVE Drug manufacturers are intensely promoting their products directly to consumers, but the impact has not been widely studied. Consumers' awareness and understanding of, attitudes toward, and susceptibility to direct-to-consumer (DTC) drug advertising were examined. DESIGN Random-digit dialing telephone survey with a random household member selection procedure (completion and response rates, 58% and 69%, respectively). SETTING Respondents were interviewed while they were at their residences. PARTICIPANTS Complete data were obtained from 329 adults in Sacramento County, California. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Outcome measures included awareness of advertisements for 10 selected drugs, misconceptions about DTC advertising, attitudes toward DTC ads, and behavioral responses to such promotions. The influence of demographic characteristics, health status, attitudes, beliefs, and media exposure on awareness and behaviors was examined. On average, respondents were aware of advertisements for 3.7 of the 10 drugs; awareness varied from 8% for Buspar (buspirone) to 72% for Claritin (loratadine). Awareness was associated with prescription drug use, media exposure, positive attitudes toward DTC advertising, poorer health, and insurance status. Substantial misconceptions were revealed; e.g., 43% thought that only “completely safe” drugs could be advertised. Direct-to-consumer advertisements had led one third of respondents to ask their physicians for drug information and one fifth to request a prescription. CONCLUSIONS Direct-to-consumer advertisements are reaching the public, but selectively so, and affecting their behaviors. Implications for public policy are examined. PMID:10571712

  19. Implementation of Direct Marketing to the Family as the End Consumer

    OpenAIRE

    Lana Kosić

    2011-01-01

    This paper explores and analyzes the implementation of direct marketing aimed at families as a specific consumer on the business-to-consumer market. The paper contains a summarized overview of the basic characteristics of direct marketing as one of the most important marketing activities nowadays that provides immediate, individual and two-way communication with end consumers. Then, it briefly describes specific behavior of the family unit as a consumer on the business-to-consumer market and ...

  20. Love, money, or flexibility: what motivates people to work in consumer-directed home care?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Howes, Candace

    2008-07-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of wages and benefits (relative to other jobs available to workers), controlling for personal characteristics, on the recruitment and retention of providers working in a consumer-directed home care program. I used the results of focus groups to design a survey that was administered to 2,260 workers stratified by ethnicity and working in eight California counties that represented the range of wage and benefit packages available. I used logistic regression to measure the effect of wage and benefit levels, controlling for covariates, on home care workers' stated reason for entering and remaining in the job. Two thirds of respondents reported that commitment to their consumer was the most important reason why they took the job and flexibility was the second most important reason, regardless of wages and benefits and personal characteristics. However, in the county in which very part-time workers were eligible, health insurance was the most important reason for retention. Wage levels above $9 an hour mattered somewhat, especially where the increase was recent. Family providers responded to wage and benefit incentives similarly to non-family providers. To improve recruitment and retention of consumer-directed home care workers, jobs should be flexible and provide affordable health insurance for part-time workers. The effect of wages suggests that recruitment might be improved with higher wages, but only when they reach the $9 to $10 range (in 2004 dollars). Finally, policy must recognize that family caregivers have financial needs similar to non-family caregivers.

  1. Direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription medicines: a counter argument.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mintzes, Barbara; Mangin, Dee

    2009-12-01

    Direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription-only medicines is currently only permitted in the USA and New Zealand. Barbara Mintzes and Dee Mangin provide their case against direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription medicines, arguing that its wider introduction would lead to a 'Pharma-knows-best' culture.

  2. Anticipation of Personal Genomics Data Enhances Interest and Learning Environment in Genomics and Molecular Biology Undergraduate Courses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weber, K Scott; Jensen, Jamie L; Johnson, Steven M

    2015-01-01

    An important discussion at colleges is centered on determining more effective models for teaching undergraduates. As personalized genomics has become more common, we hypothesized it could be a valuable tool to make science education more hands on, personal, and engaging for college undergraduates. We hypothesized that providing students with personal genome testing kits would enhance the learning experience of students in two undergraduate courses at Brigham Young University: Advanced Molecular Biology and Genomics. These courses have an emphasis on personal genomics the last two weeks of the semester. Students taking these courses were given the option to receive personal genomics kits in 2014, whereas in 2015 they were not. Students sent their personal genomics samples in on their own and received the data after the course ended. We surveyed students in these courses before and after the two-week emphasis on personal genomics to collect data on whether anticipation of obtaining their own personal genomic data impacted undergraduate student learning. We also tested to see if specific personal genomic assignments improved the learning experience by analyzing the data from the undergraduate students who completed both the pre- and post-course surveys. Anticipation of personal genomic data significantly enhanced student interest and the learning environment based on the time students spent researching personal genomic material and their self-reported attitudes compared to those who did not anticipate getting their own data. Personal genomics homework assignments significantly enhanced the undergraduate student interest and learning based on the same criteria and a personal genomics quiz. We found that for the undergraduate students in both molecular biology and genomics courses, incorporation of personal genomic testing can be an effective educational tool in undergraduate science education.

  3. Benefits and harms of direct to consumer advertising: a systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gilbody, S; Wilson, P; Watt, I

    2005-08-01

    Direct to consumer advertising is increasingly used by the pharmaceutical industry, but its benefits and harms have yet to be summarised in a comprehensive and rigorous manner. A systematic review was conducted of robust evaluations of the impact (positive and negative) of direct to consumer advertising. A broad range of databases and data sources (including Cinahl, Embase, HMIC, HSRProj, Medline, PsycInfo, and the internet) were searched from inception to 2004. From 2853 citations only four reports were found that met the strict inclusion criteria and provided usable results. Direct to consumer advertising is associated with increased prescription of advertised products and there is substantial impact on patients' request for specific drugs and physicians' confidence in prescribing. No additional benefits in terms of health outcomes were demonstrated. Direct to consumer advertising is banned in most countries, and the research evidence tends to support the negative impact that is feared by those who support a legislative ban. Further research is needed into the clinical and economic impact of direct to consumer advertising in healthcare systems.

  4. Cancer-related direct-to-consumer advertising: a critical review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kontos, Emily Z; Viswanath, K

    2011-02-01

    The direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) phenomenon has received attention because of its attempt to reach out to consumers by bypassing important gatekeepers such as physicians. The emergence of new information platforms and the introduction of genetic tests directly to the consumer have heightened the concern with DTCA and its potential consequences. These effects of DTCA are particularly important given the communication inequalities among social groups, with class, race and ethnicity influencing how people access, seek, process and act on information. This Science and Society article reviews the major issues regarding general and cancer-related DTCA and also offers data from a national survey in the United States as an example of the communication inequalities in genetic testing awareness.

  5. Direct-to-consumer testing: more risks than opportunities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lippi, G; Favaloro, E J; Plebani, M

    2011-12-01

    As a result of incessant genetic discoveries and remarkable technological advancements, the availability and the consequent consumer's request for genetic testing are growing exponentially, leading to the development of a 'parallel' market, i.e. the direct-to-consumer (DTC) testing, also known as 'direct access testing' (DAT). Analogous to the traditional laboratory diagnostics, drawbacks of DTC testing might arise from any step characterising the total testing process, and include poor control of both appropriateness and preanalytical requirements, potential operation outside national or international regulation for in vitro diagnostic testing, little evidence of quality as well as the risk of transfer of genetic materials from the companies to other entities. Another important issue is the test panels offered to consumers, which are often based on preliminary, speculative or unsupported scientific information. Finally, the potential of this type of testing to generate anxiety or false reassurance should also be carefully considered. Although DTC testing carries some theoretical advantages (e.g. greater consumer autonomy and empowerment), solid clinical studies and costs vs. benefit analyses are needed to definitely establish whether DTC testing might be effective for decreasing the burden of diseases, delay their onset or modify their progression and therefore the clinical outcome. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  6. Ethical Considerations Regarding Classroom Use of Personal Genomic Information

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lisa S. Parker

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Rapidly decreasing costs of genetic technologies—especially next-generation sequencing—and intensifying need for a clinical workforce trained in genomic medicine have increased interest in having students use personal genomic information to motivate and enhance genomics education. Numerous ethical issues attend classroom/pedagogical use of students’ personal genomic information, including their informed decision to participate, pressures to participate, privacy concerns, and psychosocial sequelae of learning genomic information. This paper addresses these issues, advocates explicit discussion of these issues to cultivate students’ ethical reasoning skills, suggests ways to mitigate potential harms, and recommends collection of ethically relevant data regarding pedagogical use of personal genomic information.

  7. Direct-to-Consumer Drug Advertisements Can Paradoxically Increase Intentions to Adopt Lifestyle Changes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maya B. Mathur

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Background: Direct-to-consumer (DTC prescription drug advertisements are thought to induce boomerang effects, meaning they reduce the perceived effectiveness of the alternative option: non-pharmaceutical treatment via lifestyle change. Past research has observed such effects using artificially created, text-only advertisements that may not adequate capture the complex, conflicting portrayal of lifestyle change in real television advertisements. Research in other risk domains has found that individual problem status often moderates boomerang effects, such that subjects who currently engage in the risky behavior exhibit the strongest boomerang effects. Objectives: We aimed to assess whether priming with real direct-to-consumer (DTC television advertisements elicited boomerang effects on perceptions of lifestyle change and whether these effects, if present, were moderated by individual problem status. Methods: We assembled a sample of real, previously aired DTC television advertisements in order to naturalistically capture the portrayal of lifestyle change in real advertisements. We randomized 819 adults in the United States recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk to view or not view an advertisement for a prescription drug. We further randomized subjects to judge either lifestyle change or drugs on three measures: general effectiveness, disease severity for a hypothetical patient, and personal intention to use the intervention if diagnosed with the target health condition. Results: Advertisement exposure induced a statistically significant, but weak, boomerang effect on general effectiveness (p = 0.01, partial R2 = 0.007 and did not affect disease severity score (p = 0.32, partial R2 = 0.0009. Advertisement exposure elicited a reverse boomerang effect of similar effect size on personal intentions, such that advertisement-exposed subjects reported comparatively higher intentions to use lifestyle change relative to drugs (p = 0.006, partial R2 = 0

  8. Health care knowledge and consumer learning: the case of direct-to-consumer drug advertising.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Delbaere, Marjorie; Smith, Malcolm C

    2006-01-01

    This research develops a framework for understanding how consumers process health-related information and interact with their caregivers. The context is direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising by pharmaceutical companies in North America. This theoretical research presents a research framework and focuses on the presentation of information in advertisements, consumer-learning processes, consumer utilization of health care knowledge, and bias in perceived risk. The paper proposes that consumers who lack expertise with prescription drugs learn from DTC ads differently than those with expertise. Further, it is proposed that consumers also process the information in DTC ads differently depending on the perceived effectiveness of the drug being advertised, and ultimately utilize the knowledge taken from the ads in many different ways, some of which may appear irrational to health care providers. By understanding how consumers interpret and learn from DTC ads, health care organizations and providers may be able to improve health care delivery and consumer outcomes.

  9. Introducing consumer directed care in residential care settings for older people in Australia: views of a citizens' jury.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laver, Kate; Gnanamanickam, Emmanuel; Whitehead, Craig; Kurrle, Susan; Corlis, Megan; Ratcliffe, Julie; Shulver, Wendy; Crotty, Maria

    2018-01-01

    Objectives Health services worldwide are increasingly adopting consumer directed care approaches. Traditionally, consumer directed care models have been implemented in home care services and there is little guidance as to how to implement them in residential care. This study used a citizens' jury to elicit views of members of the public regarding consumer directed care in residential care. Methods A citizens' jury involving 12 members of the public was held over two days in July 2016, exploring the question: For people with dementia living in residential care facilities, how do we enable increased personal decision making to ensure that care is based on their needs and preferences? Jury members were recruited through a market research company and selected to be broadly representative of the general public. Results The jury believed that person-centred care should be the foundation of care for all older people. They recommended that each person's funding be split between core services (to ensure basic health, nutrition and hygiene needs are met) and discretionary services. Systems needed to be put into place to enable the transition to consumer directed care including care coordinators to assist in eliciting resident preferences, supports for proxy decision makers, and accreditation processes and risk management strategies to ensure that residents with significant cognitive impairment are not taken advantage of by goods and service providers. Transparency should be increased (perhaps using technologies) so that both the resident and nominated family members can be sure that the person is receiving what they have paid for. Conclusions The views of the jury (as representatives of the public) were that people in residential care should have more say regarding the way in which their care is provided and that a model of consumer directed care should be introduced. Policy makers should consider implementation of consumer directed care models that are economically viable

  10. Drug Familiarization and Therapeutic Misconception Via Direct-to-Consumer Information.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bélisle-Pipon, Jean-Christophe; Williams-Jones, Bryn

    2015-06-01

    Promotion of prescription drugs may appear to be severely limited in some jurisdictions due to restrictions on direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA). However, in most jurisdictions, strategies exist to raise consumer awareness about prescription drugs, notably through the deployment of direct-to-consumer information (DTCI) campaigns that encourage patients to seek help for particular medical conditions. In Canada, DTCI is presented by industry and regulated by Health Canada as being purely informational activities, but their design and integration in broader promotional campaigns raise very similar ethical concerns as those associated with DTCA. Specifically, DTCI can be an effective means of familiarizing the public with the scope and benefits of a particular prescription drug and so, like DTCA, can promote increased patient-consumer demand and thus a problematic rise in the prescribing and use of medications that may be neither the most appropriate nor the most cost-effective. Yet, with DTCI the industry is playing within the existing rules and regulations set by health regulators. To respond appropriately to this regulatory incoherence, we argue that DTCI should be regulated as a type of direct-to-consumer indirect advertising. Even if the case and specific regulations presented here are Canadian, the implications extend to every country that has a partial or total prohibition on DTCA.

  11. A decade of direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Donohue, Julie M; Cevasco, Marisa; Rosenthal, Meredith B

    2007-08-16

    Evidence suggests that direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs increases pharmaceutical sales and both helps to avert underuse of medicines and leads to potential overuse. Concern about such advertising has increased recently owing to the withdrawal from the market of heavily advertised drugs found to carry serious risks. Moreover, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been criticized for its weak enforcement of laws regulating such advertising. We examined industry-wide trends in spending by pharmaceutical companies on direct-to-consumer advertising and promotion to physicians during the past decade. We characterized the drugs for which such advertising is used and assessed the timing of advertising after a drug is introduced. Finally, we examined trends in the FDA's regulation of drug advertising. Total spending on pharmaceutical promotion grew from $11.4 billion in 1996 to $29.9 billion in 2005. Although during that time spending on direct-to-consumer advertising increased by 330%, it made up only 14% of total promotional expenditures in 2005. Direct-to-consumer campaigns generally begin within a year after the approval of a product by the FDA. In the context of regulatory changes requiring legal review before issuing letters, the number of letters sent by the FDA to pharmaceutical manufacturers regarding violations of drug-advertising regulations fell from 142 in 1997 to only 21 in 2006. Spending on direct-to-consumer advertising has continued to increase in recent years in spite of the criticisms leveled against it. Our findings suggest that calls for a moratorium on such advertising for new drugs would represent a dramatic departure from current practices. Copyright 2007 Massachusetts Medical Society.

  12. Consumers' various and surprising responses to direct-to-consumer advertisements in magazine print.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arney, Jennifer; Street, Richard L; Naik, Aanand D

    2013-01-01

    Direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) is ubiquitous in media outlets, but little is known about the ways in which consumers' values, needs, beliefs, and biases influence the perceived meaning and value of DTCA. This article aims to identify the taxonomy of readership categories that reflect the complexity of how health care consumers interact with DTCA, with particular focus on individuals' perceptions of print DTCA in popular magazines. Respondent-driven sampling was used to recruit 18 male and female magazine readers and 18 male and female prescription medication users aged 18-71 years. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews with consumers about their attentiveness, motivations, perceived value, and behavioral responses to DTCA were conducted. The analyses were guided by principles of grounded theory analysis; four categories that vary in consumers' attentiveness, motivations, perceived value, and behavioral responses to DTCA were identified. Two categories - the lay physician and the informed shopper - see value in information from DTCA and are likely to seek medical care based on the information. One category - the voyeur - reads DTCA, but is not likely to approach a clinician regarding advertised information. The fourth category - the evader - ignores DTCA and is not likely to approach a clinician with DTCA information. Responses to DTCA vary considerably among consumers, and physicians should view patients' understanding and response to DTCA within the context of their health-related needs. Patients' comments related to DTCA may be used as an opportunity to engage and understand patients' perspectives about illness and medication use. Clinicians may use information about these categories to facilitate shared understanding and improve communication within the doctor-patient relationship.

  13. Does mental illness affect consumer direction of community-based care? Lessons from the Arkansas Cash and Counseling program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shen, Ce; Smyer, Michael A; Mahoney, Kevin J; Loughlin, Dawn M; Simon-Rusinowitz, Lori; Mahoney, Ellen K

    2008-02-01

    Previous research from the Cash and Counseling Demonstration and Evaluation (CCDE) in Arkansas, New Jersey, and Florida suggests that giving consumers control over their personal care greatly increases their satisfaction and improves their outlook on life. Still, some argue that consumer-directed care may not be appropriate for consumers with intellectual disabilities or mental health diagnoses. This study examined how Cash and Counseling-a new option allowing consumers to manage an individualized budget equivalent to what agencies would have spent on their care-changes the way consumers with mental health diagnoses meet their personal care needs and how that affects their well-being. Using the Arkansas CCDE baseline and the 9-month follow-up data for individuals in the treatment and control groups, we compared and contrasted the experience of elderly consumers with and without mental health diagnoses utilizing logit regression. After examining several outcome measures, including satisfaction with care arrangements and the paid caregiver's reliability and schedule, unmet needs, and satisfaction with the relationship with paid caregivers, this study found evidence that, from the perspective of consumers, the Cash and Counseling program works well for participants with mental health diagnoses. Considering the growing need for long-term-care services and the limited resources available, a consumer-directed option makes sense, and it can be a valuable alternative for persons with mental health needs.

  14. The association of consumer cost-sharing and direct-to-consumer advertising with prescription drug use.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hansen, Richard A; Schommer, Jon C; Cline, Richard R; Hadsall, Ronald S; Schondelmeyer, Stephen W; Nyman, John A

    2005-06-01

    Previous research on the impact of various cost-sharing strategies on prescription drug use has not considered the impact of direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising. To explore the association of cost-containment strategies with prescription drug use and to determine if the association is moderated by DTC prescription drug advertising. The study population included 288 280 employees and dependents aged 18 to 65 years with employer-sponsored health insurance contributing to the MEDSTAT MarketScan administrative data set. Person-level enrollment and claims data were obtained for beneficiaries enrolled continuously during July 1997 through December 1998. Direct-to-consumer advertising data were obtained from Competitive Media Reporting and linked to the MEDSTAT enrollment files. Localized DTC advertising expenditures for one class of medication were evaluated and matched with prescription claims for eligible MEDSTAT contributors. The association of various types and levels of cost-sharing incentives with incident product use was evaluated, controlling for the level of DTC advertising, health status, and other demographic covariates. The relationship of cost-sharing amounts with drug use was modified by the level of DTC advertising in a geographic market. This relationship was dependent on the type of cost-sharing, distinguishing between co-payments for provider visits and co-payments for prescription drugs. Compared with low-advertising markets, individuals residing in markets with high levels of advertising and paying provider co-payments of $10.00 or more were more likely to use the advertised product. In the same markets, higher prescription drug co-payments were associated with a decreased likelihood of using the advertised product. A similar relationship was not observed for the nonadvertised competitor. Among insured individuals, response to cost-sharing strategies is moderated by DTC prescription drug advertising. The relative ability of cost-sharing strategies to

  15. Characterizing immunoglobulin repertoire from whole blood by a personal genome sequencer.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fan Gao

    Full Text Available In human immune system, V(DJ recombination produces an enormously large repertoire of immunoglobulins (Ig so that they can tackle different antigens from bacteria, viruses and tumor cells. Several studies have demonstrated the utility of next-generation sequencers such as Roche 454 and Illumina Genome Analyzer to characterize the repertoire of immunoglobulins. However, these techniques typically require separation of B cell population from whole blood and require a few weeks for running the sequencers, so it may not be practical to implement them in clinical settings. Recently, the Ion Torrent personal genome sequencer has emerged as a tabletop personal genome sequencer that can be operated in a time-efficient and cost-effective manner. In this study, we explored the technical feasibility to use multiplex PCR for amplifying V(DJ recombination for IgH, directly from whole blood, then sequence the amplicons by the Ion Torrent sequencer. The whole process including data generation and analysis can be completed in one day. We tested the method in a pilot study on patients with benign, atypical and malignant meningiomas. Despite the noisy data, we were able to compare the samples by their usage frequencies of the V segment, as well as their somatic hypermutation rates. In summary, our study suggested that it is technically feasible to perform clinical monitoring of V(DJ recombination within a day by personal genome sequencers.

  16. Relationship between Consumer Identity and Brand Personality as a Factor of Brand Commitment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antonova N. V.

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The article analyzes the relationship between consumer identity and brand personality as a factor of consumer commitment to the brand. We hypothesized that: a there is a link between consumer identity and preferred brand’s personality; b the higher the similarity between the consumer identity and preferred brand’s personality, the higher the brand commitment. The sample included 150 subjects aged 18—25. Methods: the method of J. Aaker was used to study brand personality, and its modification was used to study consumer identity. The questionnaire of J. Brovkina was used to study brand loyalty. Results: high correlations between consumer identity and brand personality were obtained on the scales Ruggedness, Sophistication, Excitement, and high correlations between brand loyalty and deltas of the values of consumer identity and brand personality on the same scales were also discovered. On the scales of Competence and Sincerity the correlations were lower, although important as well. Thus, the hypotheses were confirmed: a it is shown that there is a correlation between consumer identity and brand personality; b the higher this correlation is, the higher is the commitment to the preferred brand.

  17. Models of physician-patient relationships in pharmaceutical direct-to-consumer advertising and consumer interviews.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arney, Jennifer; Lewin, Benjamin

    2013-07-01

    The rise of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) has mirrored, if not facilitated, the shift toward more active health care consumers. We used content analysis to identify models of physician-patient interaction in DTCA from the 1997 to 2006 issues of a broad sample of women's, men's, and common readership magazines. We also conducted 36 in-depth interviews to examine the ways consumers receive and regard advertising messages, and to explore their preferences for clinical communication and decision making. We identified four models of physician-patient relationships that vary in their locus of control (physician, patient, or shared) and the form of support sought or obtained in the relationship (emotional or instrumental). Whereas consumer interviews reflected references to all four models of interaction, only two appeared in DTCA. The limited range of interactions seen in these advertisements creates a lack of congruity between interaction styles found in advertisements vs. styles reported by actual consumers.

  18. Going direct to the consumer: Examining treatment preferences for veterans with insomnia, PTSD, and depression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gutner, Cassidy A; Pedersen, Eric R; Drummond, Sean P A

    2018-05-01

    Inclusion of consumer preferences to disseminate evidence-based psychosocial treatment (EBPT) is crucial to effectively bridge the science-to-practice quality chasm. We examined this treatment gap for insomnia, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and comorbid symptoms in a sample of 622 young adult veterans through preference in symptom focus, treatment modality, and related gender differences among those screening positive for each problem. Data were collected from veteran drinkers recruited through targeted Facebook advertisements as part of a brief online alcohol intervention. Analyses demonstrated that veterans reported greater willingness to seek insomnia-focused treatment over PTSD- or depression-focused care. Notably, even when participants screened negative for insomnia, they preferred sleep-focused care to PTSD- or depression-focused care. Although one in five veterans with a positive screen would not consider care, veterans screening for both insomnia and PTSD who would consider care had a preference for in-person counseling, and those screening for both insomnia and depression had similar preferences for in-person and mobile app-based/computer self-help treatment. Marginal gender differences were found. Incorporating direct-to-consumer methods into research can help educate stakeholders about methods to expand EBPT access. Though traditional in-person counseling was often preferred, openness to app-based/computer interventions offers alternative methods to provide veterans with EBPTs. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  19. Personal utility in genomic testing: a systematic literature review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kohler, Jennefer N; Turbitt, Erin; Biesecker, Barbara B

    2017-06-01

    Researchers and clinicians refer to outcomes of genomic testing that extend beyond clinical utility as 'personal utility'. No systematic delineation of personal utility exists, making it challenging to appreciate its scope. Identifying empirical elements of personal utility reported in the literature offers an inventory that can be subsequently ranked for its relative value by those who have undergone genomic testing. A systematic review was conducted of the peer-reviewed literature reporting non-health-related outcomes of genomic testing from 1 January 2003 to 5 August 2016. Inclusion criteria specified English language, date of publication, and presence of empirical evidence. Identified outcomes were iteratively coded into unique domains. The search returned 551 abstracts from which 31 studies met the inclusion criteria. Study populations and type of genomic testing varied. Coding resulted in 15 distinct elements of personal utility, organized into three domains related to personal outcomes: affective, cognitive, and behavioral; and one domain related to social outcomes. The domains of personal utility may inform pre-test counseling by helping patients anticipate potential value of test results beyond clinical utility. Identified elements may also inform investigations into the prevalence and importance of personal utility to future test users.

  20. Clinical Practice: Direct-to-consumer genetic testing: To test or not to ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    In direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing, laboratory-based genetic services are offered directly to the public without an independent healthcare professional being involved. The committee of the Southern African Society for Human Genetics (SASHG) appeals to the public and clinicians to be cautious when considering ...

  1. Direct-to-consumer advertising and corporate social responsibility

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van de Pol, P.K.C.; de Bakker, F.G.A.

    2010-01-01

    Direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription drugs has been a heavily contested issue over the past decade, touching on several issues of responsibility facing the pharmaceutical industry. Much research has been conducted on DTCA, but hardly any studies have discussed this topic from a

  2. Customer Satisfaction in Farmer-to-consumer Direct Marketing

    OpenAIRE

    Lulfs-Baden, Frederike; Spiller, Achim; Zuhlsdorf, Anke; Mellin, Matthias

    2008-01-01

    The importance of direct marketing for high quality farm products has increased during the past few years. This paper analyzes the impact of customer satisfaction and its driving forces for farmer-to-consumer direct marketing and is based on a customer survey among 1,537 customers in 33 organic and conventional on-farm stores in Germany. The results emphasize the role of store atmosphere, customer service and product quality as the main factors which influence customer satisfaction.

  3. Informed choice in direct-to-consumer genetic testing (DTCGT) websites: a content analysis of benefits, risks, and limitations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singleton, Amanda; Erby, Lori Hamby; Foisie, Kathryn V; Kaphingst, Kimberly A

    2012-06-01

    An informed choice about health-related direct-to-consumer genetic testing (DTCGT) requires knowledge of potential benefits, risks, and limitations. To understand the information that potential consumers of DTCGT services are exposed to on company websites, we conducted a content analysis of 23 health-related DTCGT websites. Results revealed that benefit statements outweighed risk and limitation statements 6 to 1. The most frequently described benefits were: 1) disease prevention, 2) consumer education, 3) personalized medical recommendations, and 4) the ability to make health decisions. Thirty-five percent of websites also presented at least one risk of testing. Seventy-eight percent of websites mentioned at least one limitation of testing. Based on this information, potential consumers might get an inaccurate picture of genetic testing which could impact their ability to make an informed decision. Practices that enhance the presentation of balanced information on DTCGT company websites should be encouraged.

  4. The study of Relationship between Personality Attributes and Internet Consumer Behaviors in Iran

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Ali Babai

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available The overall purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of personality attributes as predictors of consumer behavior in contrast to traditional demographic variables in the digital environment. New variables were needed to replace the traditional ones. This research evaluated three groups of consumer behaviors and examined personality and demographic variables. The primary data collected via questionnaire. The results of this research showed significant relationship between personality variables and online consumer behaviors of respondents and suggested that personality attributes were superior at predicting and segmenting online consumer behaviors.

  5. Direct-to-Consumer Advertising and the Demand for Cholesterol-Reducing Drugs

    OpenAIRE

    Winston, Clifford; Calfee, John E.; Stempski, Randolph

    2003-01-01

    In August 1997, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reinterpreted its advertising regulations to ease limits on the use of broadcast media when advertising prescription drugs directly to consumers. We estimate the effect of direct-to-consumer advertising on demand, using 1995-2000 data from the market for the statin class of cholesterol-reducing drugs. We find no statistically significant effect from any form of advertising and promotion on new statin prescriptions or renewals and no evide...

  6. From Lydia Pinkham to Queen Levitra: direct-to-consumer advertising and medicalisation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conrad, Peter; Leiter, Valerie

    2008-09-01

    The medicalisation of life problems has been occurring for well over a century and has increased over the past 30 years, with the engines of medicalisation shifting to biotechnology, managed care, and consumers. This paper examines one strand of medicalisation during the last century: direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of pharmaceuticals. In particular, it examines the roles that physicians and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have played in regulating DTCA in the US. Two advertising exemplars, the late 19(th) century Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound (for 'women's complaints') and contemporary Levitra (for erectile dysfunction) are used to examine the parallels between the patent medicine era and the DTCA era. DTCA re-establishes the direct and independent relationship between drug companies and consumers that existed in the late 19(th) century, encouraging self-diagnosis and requests for specific drugs. The extravagant claims of Lydia Pinkham's day are constrained by laws, but modern-day advertising is more subtle and sophisticated. DTCA has facilitated the impact of the pharmaceutical industry and consumers in becoming more important forces in medicalisation.

  7. FDA direct-to-consumer advertising for prescription drugs: what are consumer preferences and response tendencies?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khanfar, Nile; Loudon, David; Sircar-Ramsewak, Feroza

    2007-01-01

    The effect of direct-to-consumer (DTC) television advertising of prescription medications is a growing concern of the United States (U.S.) Congress, state legislatures, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This research study was conducted in order to examine consumers' perceived preferences of DTC television advertisement in relation to "reminder" "help-seeking," and "product-claim" FDA-approved advertisement categories. An additional objective was to examine the influence of DTC television advertising of prescription drugs on consumers' tendency to seek more information about the medication and/or the medical condition. The research indicates that DTC television drug ads appear to be insufficient for consumers to make informed decisions. Their mixed perception and acceptance of the advertisements seem to influence them to seek more information from a variety of medical sources.

  8. [Advantages and disadvantages of direct-to-consumer genetic tests].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christiansen, Camilla Worm; Gerdes, Anne-Marie Axø

    2017-03-13

    Direct-to-consumer genetic tests are sold over the internet to consumers all over the world - including Denmark. No regulation of these tests has been introduced neither in Denmark nor in Europe, even though they have been on the market since 2007. Such tests have several advantages, but indeed also a long list of potential disadvantages, which are most often ignored, and among these is insufficient training of general practitioners in performing the necessary counselling but also the risk of increased expenses to unnecessary follow-up consultations.

  9. Assessment of Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing Policy in Korea Based on Consumer Preference.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeong, Gicheol

    2017-01-01

    In June 2016, Korea permitted direct-to-consumer genetic testing (DTC-GT) on 42 genes. However, both the market and industry have not yet been fully activated. Considering the aforementioned context, this study provides important insights. The Korean DTC-GT policy assessment is based on consumer preference analysis using a discrete choice experiment. In August 2016, a web-based survey was conducted to collect data from 1,200 respondents. The estimation results show that consumers prefer a DTC-GT product that is cheap, tests various items or genes, offers accurate test results, and guarantees the confidentiality of all information. However, consumers are not entirely satisfied by current DTC-GT products due to the existence of insufficient and/or inadequate policies. First, the permitted testing of 42 genes is insufficient to satisfy consumers' curiosity regarding their genes. Second, the accuracy of the DTC-GT products has not been fully verified, assessed, and communicated to consumers. Finally, regulatory loopholes that allow information leaks in the DTC-GT process can occur. These findings imply that DTC-GT requires an improvement in government policy-making criteria and the implementation of practical measures to guarantee test accuracy and genetic information. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  10. Revisiting the Malleable Self: Brand Effects on Consumer Self-Perceptions of Personality Traits

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fennis, B.M.; Pruyn, Adriaan T.H.; Maasland, Mascha

    2005-01-01

    Four experiments examined the relationships between dimensions of brand personality and consumer self-perceptions of personality traits. We hypothesized and found that when consumers are exposed to brands, brand personality dimensions may affect individual assessments of personality traits. Study 1

  11. Consumers' various and surprising responses to direct-to-consumer advertisements in magazine print

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arney J

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Jennifer Arney,1–3 Richard L Street Jr,2–4 Aanand D Naik2,31Department of Sociology, University of Houston – Clear Lake, 2Houston VA Health Services Research and Development Center of Excellence, Michael E DeBakey Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 3Section on Health Services Research, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, 4Department of Communication, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USAAbstract: Direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA is ubiquitous in media outlets, but little is known about the ways in which consumers' values, needs, beliefs, and biases influence the perceived meaning and value of DTCA. This article aims to identify the taxonomy of readership categories that reflect the complexity of how health care consumers interact with DTCA, with particular focus on individuals' perceptions of print DTCA in popular magazines. Respondent-driven sampling was used to recruit 18 male and female magazine readers and 18 male and female prescription medication users aged 18–71 years. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews with consumers about their attentiveness, motivations, perceived value, and behavioral responses to DTCA were conducted. The analyses were guided by principles of grounded theory analysis; four categories that vary in consumers' attentiveness, motivations, perceived value, and behavioral responses to DTCA were identified. Two categories – the lay physician and the informed shopper – see value in information from DTCA and are likely to seek medical care based on the information. One category – the voyeur – reads DTCA, but is not likely to approach a clinician regarding advertised information. The fourth category – the evader – ignores DTCA and is not likely to approach a clinician with DTCA information. Responses to DTCA vary considerably among consumers, and physicians should view patients' understanding and response to DTCA within the context of their health-related needs. Patients' comments

  12. Direct-to-consumer marketing of evidence-based psychological interventions: introduction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santucci, Lauren C; McHugh, R Kathryn; Barlow, David H

    2012-06-01

    The dissemination and implementation of evidence-based psychological interventions (EBPIs) to service provision settings has been a major challenge. Most efforts to disseminate and implement EBPIs have focused on clinicians and clinical systems as the consumers of these treatments and thus have targeted efforts to these groups. An alternative, complementary approach to achieve more widespread utilization of EBPIs is to disseminate directly to patients themselves. The aim of this special section is to explore several direct-to-consumer (i.e., patient) dissemination and education efforts currently underway. This manuscript highlights the rationale for direct-to-patient dissemination strategies as well as the application of marketing science to dissemination efforts. Achieving greater access to EBPIs will require the use of multiple approaches to overcome the many and varied barriers to successful dissemination and implementation. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  13. Disease-specific direct-to-consumer advertising for reminding consumers to take medications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhutada, Nilesh S; Rollins, Brent L

    2015-01-01

    To assess the relationship between disease-specific direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising, via traditional advertising effectiveness measures, and consumers' self-reported medication-taking behavior. Data were gathered for 514 respondents (age 18 and above) using an online survey panel. Participants were exposed to a disease-specific (i.e., nonbranded) DTC advertising for depression. The advertising stimulus created for the study was based on the Food and Drug Administration guidelines for disease-specific DTC advertising and modeled after current print disease-specific DTC advertising. Participants reviewed the advertising stimulus through the online program and then responded to a questionnaire containing closed-ended questions assessing the constructs. Data were analyzed using chi-square tests. All tests were interpreted at an a priori alpha of 0.05. Significantly more respondents who were highly involved, paid more attention to the advertisement, and were responsive to DTC advertisements in the past indicated that the disease-specific DTC advertising stimulus reminded them to take their depression and other medications. These exploratory results show disease-specific DTC advertising can help people remember to take their prescription medication when viewed, which may lead to more positive medication-taking behavior and increased medication adherence. Additionally, given the fair balance and legal issues surrounding product-specific DTC advertising, disease-specific DTC advertising can serve as an effective component of the marketing mix for pharmaceutical manufacturers. Future research should attempt to study the impact of disease-specific DTC advertising on consumers' actual medication adherence using standardized adherence measures such as prescription records.

  14. Effect of direct-to-consumer genetic tests on health behaviour and anxiety: a survey of consumers and potential consumers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Egglestone, Corin; Morris, Anne; O'Brien, Ann

    2013-10-01

    Direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic tests can be purchased over the internet. Some companies claim to provide relative genetic risks for various diseases and thus encourage healthy behaviour. There are concerns that exposure to such information may actually discourage healthy behaviour or increase health anxiety. An online survey was conducted (n = 275). Respondents were composed of individuals who had purchased a DTC genetic test and received their results (consumers, n = 189), as well as individuals who were either awaiting test results or considering purchasing a test (potential consumers, n = 86). Consumers were asked if their health behaviour or health anxiety had changed after receiving their results. Respondents' current health behaviour and health anxiety were queried and compared. In total, 27.3 % of consumers claimed a change in health behaviour, all either positive or neutral, with no reported cessation of any existing health behaviour. A change in health anxiety was claimed by 24.6 % of consumers, 85.3 % of which were a reduction. Consumers had significantly better health behaviour scores than potential consumers (p = 0.02), with no significant difference in health anxiety. This study points towards an association between receipt of DTC genetic test results and increased adoption of healthy behaviours for a minority of consumers based on self-report, with more mixed results in relation to health anxiety.

  15. Personal genome testing in medical education: student experiences with genotyping in the classroom.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vernez, Simone Lucia; Salari, Keyan; Ormond, Kelly E; Lee, Sandra Soo-Jin

    2013-01-01

    Direct-to-consumer (DTC) personal genotyping services are beginning to be adopted by educational institutions as pedagogical tools for learning about human genetics. However, there is little known about student reactions to such testing. This study investigated student experiences and attitudes towards DTC personal genome testing. Individual interviews were conducted with students who chose to undergo personal genotyping in the context of an elective genetics course. Ten medical and graduate students were interviewed before genotyping occurred, and at 2 weeks and 6 months after receiving their genotype results. Qualitative analysis of interview transcripts assessed the expectations and experiences of students who underwent personal genotyping, how they interpreted and applied their results; how the testing affected the quality of their learning during the course, and what were their perceived needs for support. Students stated that personal genotyping enhanced their engagement with the course content. Although students expressed skepticism over the clinical utility of some test results, they expressed significant enthusiasm immediately after receiving their personal genetic analysis, and were particularly interested in results such as drug response and carrier testing. However, few reported making behavioral changes or following up on specific results through a healthcare provider. Students did not report utilizing genetic counseling, despite feeling strongly that the 'general public' would need these services. In follow-up interviews, students exhibited poor recall on details of the consent and biobanking agreements, but expressed little regret over their decision to undergo genotyping. Students reported mining their raw genetic data, and conveyed a need for further consultation support in their exploration of genetic variants. Personal genotyping may improve students' self-reported motivation and engagement with course material. However, consultative support that

  16. Direct-to-consumer advertising of predictive genetic tests: a health belief model based examination of consumer response.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rollins, Brent L; Ramakrishnan, Shravanan; Perri, Matthew

    2014-01-01

    Direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising of predictive genetic tests (PGTs) has added a new dimension to health advertising. This study used an online survey based on the health belief model framework to examine and more fully understand consumers' responses and behavioral intentions in response to a PGT DTC advertisement. Overall, consumers reported moderate intentions to talk with their doctor and seek more information about PGTs after advertisement exposure, though consumers did not seem ready to take the advertised test or engage in active information search. Those who perceived greater threat from the disease, however, had significantly greater behavioral intentions and information search behavior.

  17. Socioeconomic influences on the effects of a genetic testing direct-to-consumer marketing campaign.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bowen, D J; Harris, J; Jorgensen, C M; Myers, M F; Kuniyuki, A

    2010-01-01

    Direct-to-consumer marketing of genetic tests is beginning to appear in select markets, and little independent evaluation has been conducted on the effects of this marketing on consumer attitudes or behavior. The purpose of this paper is to identify the effects of socioeconomic status on women's reactions to such a campaign, including knowledge of the test, perceptions of personal risk, communications with others about the test, and interest in pursuing the test. The only United States provider of genetic testing for breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility (BRCA1/2 testing) conducted a pilot marketing campaign that targeted women aged 25-54 and their health care providers in 2 cities, Atlanta, Ga., and Denver, Colo. The design for the evaluation was a post campaign consumer survey, based on a cross-sectional stratified random sample of women in the 2 intervention sites and 2 comparison sites. The campaign had no differential impact by socioeconomic status. However, there was a consistent relationship between socioeconomic status and several outcome variables, including knowledge of the test, beliefs about the test, and desire to know about genetic risk. These data indicate that socioeconomic status may play a role in uptake of genetic services, regardless of response to a media campaign. Copyright 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  18. Opinion: the case for advertising pharmaceuticals direct to consumers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Auton, Frank

    2009-07-01

    Direct-to-consumer advertising (DCTA) of prescription-only medicines is currently only permitted in the USA and New Zealand. While proponents of DCTA argue that it allows patients to make more informed choices about available treatment options, opponents claim that marketing inevitably presents a biased viewpoint of pharmaceutical products. Frank Auton, senior lecturer in marketing and business strategy at the University of Westminster, UK, presents his case in favor of advertising pharmaceuticals directly to patients.

  19. Segmenting consumers according to experiential preferences based on personality type vs. personality traits – a latent class analysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Jeanne

    Differences in consumers’ preferences for experiences have been suggested to be based on personality among other things. Personality in consumer research has primarily been operationalized as personality traits using the Five Factor theory. An old, re-emerged discussion in psychology is pointing...... at personality type rather than single personality traits to better understand behavior. Personality type represents “typical configurations of the dispositional attributes that define individuals” (Donnellan and Robins, 2010: 1). Type accounts for the necessity of understanding not only a person’s defining...... trait but also how this interacts with other traits providing a person centered rather than an attribute centered understanding. This allows for a classification of people rather than a classification of attributes of people. In the context of segmentation the objective is classifying people rather than...

  20. Informed Choice in Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing for Alzheimer and Other Diseases: Lessons from Two Cases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Messner, Donna A

    2011-01-01

    Health-related direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing has been a controversial practice. Especially problematic is predictive testing for Alzheimer disease (AD), since the disease is incurable, prevention is inconclusive, and testing does not definitively predict an individual's future disease status. In this paper, I examine two contrasting cases of subjects who learn through genetic testing that they have an elevated risk of developing AD later in life. In these cases, the subject's emotional response to the result is related to how well prepared she was for the real-life personal implications of possible test results. Analysis leads to the conclusion that when groups of health-related genetic tests are offered as packages by DTC companies, informed consumer choice is rendered impossible. Moreover, I argue, this marketing approach contravenes U.S. Federal Trade Commission policies for non-deceptive commercial communications. I conclude by suggesting ways to improve the prospects for informed consumer choice in DTC testing.

  1. Promissory accounts of personalisation in the commercialisation of genomic knowledge.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arribas-Ayllon, Michael; Sarangi, Srikant; Clarke, Angus

    2011-01-01

    As part of personalised medicine emerging from the human genomics revolution, many websites now offer direct-to-consumer genetic testing. Here, we examine three personal genomics companies--Navigenics, deCODEme and 23andMe--each of which represents contrasting registers of 'personalisation'. We identify three distinctive registers in these websites: a paternalistic (medical) register; a translational (scientific) register and a democratic (consumerist) register. We explore in detail the rhetorical and discourse devices employed in these websites to assess how personalised healthcare is promised to the public. Promising information that will empower prevention of common complex diseases and ensure better quality of life is conflated with promising greater access to personal information. The presence and absence of scientific legitimacy is related to concerns about accuracy and validity on the one side, and fears of paternalism and elitism on the other. Nevertheless, a common strategy uniting these different styles of personalisation is consumer empowerment. Finally, we consider the tension between the drive of translational medicine to make human genomic research practically relevant, and the intrinsic uncertainties of scientific research and show how, in the commercial domain, future risks are transformed into discourses of promise by concealing these uncertainties.

  2. Consumers' intention to use health recommendation systems to receive personalized nutrition advice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wendel, Sonja; Dellaert, Benedict G C; Ronteltap, Amber; van Trijp, Hans C M

    2013-04-04

    Sophisticated recommendation systems are used more and more in the health sector to assist consumers in healthy decision making. In this study we investigate consumers' evaluation of hypothetical health recommendation systems that provide personalized nutrition advice. We examine consumers' intention to use such a health recommendation system as a function of options related to the underlying system (e.g. the type of company that generates the advice) as well as intermediaries (e.g. general practitioner) that might assist in using the system. We further explore if the effect of both the system and intermediaries on intention to use a health recommendation system are mediated by consumers' perceived effort, privacy risk, usefulness and enjoyment. 204 respondents from a consumer panel in the Netherlands participated. The data were collected by means of a questionnaire. Each respondent evaluated three hypothetical health recommendation systems on validated multi-scale measures of effort, privacy risk, usefulness, enjoyment and intention to use the system. To test the hypothesized relationships we used regression analyses. We find evidence that the options related to the underlying system as well as the intermediaries involved influence consumers' intention to use such a health recommendation system and that these effects are mediated by perceptions of effort, privacy risk, usefulness and enjoyment. Also, we find that consumers value usefulness of a system more and enjoyment less when a general practitioner advices them to use a health recommendation system than if they use it out of their own curiosity. We developed and tested a model of consumers' intention to use a health recommendation system. We found that intermediaries play an important role in how consumers evaluate such a system over and above options of the underlying system that is used to generate the recommendation. Also, health-related information services seem to rely on endorsement by the medical sector

  3. Gatekeepers or intermediaries? The role of clinicians in commercial genomic testing.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michelle L McGowan

    Full Text Available Many commentators on "direct-to-consumer" genetic risk information have raised concerns that giving results to individuals with insufficient knowledge and training in genomics may harm consumers, the health care system, and society. In response, several commercial laboratories offering genomic risk profiling have shifted to more traditional "direct-to-provider" (DTP marketing strategies, repositioning clinicians as the intended recipients of advertising of laboratory services and as gatekeepers to personal genomic information. Increasing popularity of next generation sequencing puts a premium on ensuring that those who are charged with interpreting, translating, communicating and managing commercial genomic risk information are appropriately equipped for the job. To shed light on their gatekeeping role, we conducted a study to assess how and why early clinical users of genomic risk assessment incorporate these tools in their clinical practices and how they interpret genomic information for their patients.We conducted qualitative in-depth interviews with 18 clinicians providing genomic risk assessment services to their patients in partnership with DNA Direct and Navigenics. Our findings suggest that clinicians learned most of what they knew about genomics directly from the commercial laboratories. Clinicians rely on the expertise of the commercial laboratories without the ability to critically evaluate the knowledge or assess risks.DTP service delivery model cannot guarantee that providers will have adequate expertise or sound clinical judgment. Even if clinicians want greater genomic knowledge, the current market structure is unlikely to build the independent substantive expertise of clinicians, but rather promote its continued outsourcing. Because commercial laboratories have the most "skin in the game" financially, genetics professionals and policymakers should scrutinize the scientific validity and clinical soundness of the process by which

  4. Gatekeepers or intermediaries? The role of clinicians in commercial genomic testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McGowan, Michelle L; Fishman, Jennifer R; Settersten, Richard A; Lambrix, Marcie A; Juengst, Eric T

    2014-01-01

    Many commentators on "direct-to-consumer" genetic risk information have raised concerns that giving results to individuals with insufficient knowledge and training in genomics may harm consumers, the health care system, and society. In response, several commercial laboratories offering genomic risk profiling have shifted to more traditional "direct-to-provider" (DTP) marketing strategies, repositioning clinicians as the intended recipients of advertising of laboratory services and as gatekeepers to personal genomic information. Increasing popularity of next generation sequencing puts a premium on ensuring that those who are charged with interpreting, translating, communicating and managing commercial genomic risk information are appropriately equipped for the job. To shed light on their gatekeeping role, we conducted a study to assess how and why early clinical users of genomic risk assessment incorporate these tools in their clinical practices and how they interpret genomic information for their patients. We conducted qualitative in-depth interviews with 18 clinicians providing genomic risk assessment services to their patients in partnership with DNA Direct and Navigenics. Our findings suggest that clinicians learned most of what they knew about genomics directly from the commercial laboratories. Clinicians rely on the expertise of the commercial laboratories without the ability to critically evaluate the knowledge or assess risks. DTP service delivery model cannot guarantee that providers will have adequate expertise or sound clinical judgment. Even if clinicians want greater genomic knowledge, the current market structure is unlikely to build the independent substantive expertise of clinicians, but rather promote its continued outsourcing. Because commercial laboratories have the most "skin in the game" financially, genetics professionals and policymakers should scrutinize the scientific validity and clinical soundness of the process by which these laboratories

  5. fundamental consumer rights under the consumer protection act 68

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Castle walk

    (g) a collective agreement in terms of Section 213 of the Labour Relations Act. 59 ..... "Direct marketing" means to approach a person, either in person or by ..... literacy skills and minimal experience as a consumer, to understand the contents.

  6. Consumer understanding, interpretation and perceived levels of personal responsibility in relation to satiety-related claims

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bilman, E.M.; Kleef, van E.; Mela, D.J.; Hulshof, T.; Trijp, van J.C.M.

    2012-01-01

    The aim of this study was to explore (a) whether and how consumers may (over-) interpret satiety claims, and (b) whether and to what extent consumers recognize that personal efforts are required to realize possible satiety-related or weight loss benefits. Following means-end chain theory, we

  7. "It's our DNA, we deserve the right to test!" A content analysis of a petition for the right to access direct-to-consumer genetic testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Yeyang; Borry, Pascal; Otte, Ina C; Howard, Heidi C

    2013-09-01

    Various companies are currently advertising or selling genetic tests over the internet using a model of provision referred to as 'direct-to-consumer' (DTC). This commercial offer of DTC genetic testing (GT) has fueled a number of scientific, ethical and policy debates. To date there have been few studies published regarding the users' perspective. This study aimed to obtain information regarding the issues raised by individuals who signed a petition in support of DTC GT and the 'unrestricted' access to their genetic information. We conducted qualitative content analysis of comments written by individuals who signed a public online petition initiated by DIYgenomics (CA, USA) to support "personal access to genetic information". Of the 523 individuals who signed the petition sponsored by DIYgenomics, 247 individuals also wrote individual comments. A content analysis of these comments reveals that petitioners raised six main issues in support of unrestricted access to DTC GT: that their ownership of their DNA should allow them to have unrestricted access to their genomic information; that they should have the right to their genomic information; that the government has no place in (further) regulating DTC GT; that healthcare professionals should not be placed as intermediaries when purchasing DTC GT services; that many petioners who had already obtained DTC GT had positive experiences with this model of provision; and that genealogy or ancestry DNA testing is one of the main activities petitioners wish to have 'unrestricted' or 'direct' access. These results give insight into why individuals may support unrestricted access to their genomic information and confirm some of the motivations of users for purchasing DTC GT. Our analysis also brings to the forefront themes that have been raised less often in empirical studies involving motivations to purchase DTC GT services; these include the strongly held beliefs of some petitioners that, since they own their DNA, they

  8. Consumers' Use of Personal Electronic Devices in the Kitchen.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lando, Amy M; Bazaco, Michael C; Chen, Yi

    2018-02-23

    Smartphones, tablets, and other personal electronic devices have become ubiquitous in Americans' daily lives. These devices are used by people throughout the day, including while preparing food. For example, a device may be used to look at recipes and therefore be touched multiple times during food preparation. Previous research has indicated that cell phones can harbor bacteria, including opportunistic human pathogens such as Staphylococcus and Klebsiella spp. This investigation was conducted with data from the 2016 Food Safety Survey (FSS) and from subsequent focus groups to determine the frequency with which consumers use personal electronic devices in the kitchen while preparing food, the types of devices used, and hand washing behaviors after handling these devices. The 2016 FSS is the seventh wave of a repeated cross-sectional survey conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The goal of the FSS is to evaluate U.S. adult consumer attitudes, behaviors, and knowledge about food safety. The FSS included 4,169 adults that were contacted using a dual-frame (land line and cell phone interviews) random-digit-dial sampling process. The personal electronics module was the first of three food safety topics discussed by each of eight consumer focus groups, which were convened in four U.S. cities in fall 2016. Results from the 2016 FSS revealed that of those individuals who use personal electronic devices while cooking, only about one third reported washing hands after touching the device and before continuing cooking. This proportion is significantly lower than that for self-reported hand washing behaviors after touching risky food products such as raw eggs, meat, chicken, or fish. Results from the focus groups highlight the varied usage of these devices during food preparation and the related strategies consumers are using to incorporate personal electric devices into their cooking routines.

  9. Rural-urban and racial-ethnic differences in awareness of direct-to-consumer genetic testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salloum, Ramzi G; George, Thomas J; Silver, Natalie; Markham, Merry-Jennifer; Hall, Jaclyn M; Guo, Yi; Bian, Jiang; Shenkman, Elizabeth A

    2018-02-23

    Access to direct-to-consumer genetic testing services has increased in recent years. However, disparities in knowledge and awareness of these services are not well documented. We examined awareness of genetic testing services by rural/urban and racial/ethnic status. Analyses were conducted using pooled cross-sectional data from 4 waves (2011-2014) of the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS). Descriptive statistics compared sample characteristics and information sources by rural/urban residence. Logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between geography, racial/ethnic status, and awareness of genetic testing, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics. Of 13,749 respondents, 16.7% resided in rural areas, 13.8% were Hispanic, and 10.1% were non-Hispanic black. Rural residents were less likely than urban residents to report awareness of genetic testing (OR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.63-0.87). Compared with non-Hispanic whites, racial/ethnic minorities were less likely to be aware of genetic testing: Hispanic (OR = 0.68, 95% CI = 0.56-0.82); and non-Hispanic black (OR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.61-0.90). Rural-urban and racial-ethnic differences exist in awareness of direct-to-consumer genetic testing. These differences may translate into disparities in the uptake of genetic testing, health behavior change, and disease prevention through precision and personalized medicine.

  10. Direct-to-Consumer Drug Advertising Prohibition in Ethiopia: Health ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Abstract. Ethiopia prohibited direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) for any drug product since the early 1980s. This total drug advertising prohibition is rare, and possibly unique, in the world. The purpose of this study was to determine the knowledge and perceptions of health professionals on issues regarding DTCA.

  11. Willingness to participate in genomics research and desire for personal results among underrepresented minority patients: a structured interview study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanderson, Saskia C; Diefenbach, Michael A; Zinberg, Randi; Horowitz, Carol R; Smirnoff, Margaret; Zweig, Micol; Streicher, Samantha; Jabs, Ethylin Wang; Richardson, Lynne D

    2013-10-01

    Patients from traditionally underrepresented communities need to be involved in discussions around genomics research including attitudes towards participation and receiving personal results. Structured interviews, including open-ended and closed-ended questions, were conducted with 205 patients in an inner-city hospital outpatient clinic: 48 % of participants self-identified as Black or African American, 29 % Hispanic, 10 % White; 49 % had an annual household income of personal results to be returned was not mentioned, 82 % of participants were willing to participate in genomics research. Reasons for willingness fell into four themes: altruism; benefit to family members; personal health benefit; personal curiosity and improving understanding. Reasons for being unwilling fell into five themes: negative perception of research; not personally relevant; negative feelings about procedures (e.g., blood draws); practical barriers; and fear of results. Participants were more likely to report that they would participate in genomics research if personal results were offered than if they were not offered (89 vs. 62 % respectively, p personal genomic risk results for cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes than obesity (89, 89, 91, 80 % respectively, all p personal results was disease-specific worry. There was considerable willingness to participate in and desire for personal results from genomics research in this sample of predominantly low-income, Hispanic and African American patients. When returning results is not practical, or even when it is, alternatively or additionally providing generic information about genomics and health may also be a valuable commodity to underrepresented minority and other populations considering participating in genomics research.

  12. Direct-to-consumer sales of genetic services on the Internet.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gollust, Sarah E; Wilfond, Benjamin S; Hull, Sara Chandros

    2003-01-01

    PURPOSE The increasing use of the Internet to obtain genetics information and to order medical services without a prescription, combined with a rise in direct-to-consumer marketing for genetic testing, suggests the potential for the Internet to be used to sell genetic services. METHODS A systematic World Wide Web search was conducted in May 2002 to assess the availability of genetic services sold directly to consumers on the Internet. RESULTS Out of 105 sites that offered genetic services directly, most offered non-health-related services, including parentage confirmation testing (83%), identity testing (56%), and DNA banking (24%); however, health-related genetic tests were offered through 14 sites (13%). The health-related genetic tests available ranged from standard tests, such as hemochromatosis and cystic fibrosis, to more unconventional tests related to nutrition, behavior, and aging. Of these 14 sites, 5 described risks associated with the genetic services and 6 described the availability of counseling. CONCLUSIONS The availability of direct sales of health-related genetic tests creates the potential for inadequate pretest decision making, misunderstanding test results, and access to tests of questionable clinical value.

  13. A survey on relationship among consumer personal characteristics, brand personality and brand love

    OpenAIRE

    Ali Eilaghi Karvandi

    2016-01-01

    Consumer’s personality traits, as one of the most important aspects of human psychological tendency, may influence people towards different brands. Therefore, the owners of most well-known brands also try to learn more about people’s personal characteristics to gain more market shares. The purpose of this paper is to find out more about consumer personality, which creates motivation in consumer’s mind and to learn more about the effect of this image on consumer’s interest on purchasing produc...

  14. Electronic Contracts and the Personal data Protection of the Consumer: Sources Dialogue Between the Consumer Protection Code and the Internet Civil Mark.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rosane Leal Da Silva

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper analyzes the personal data protection of the consumer and your vulnerability in interactive electronic contracts, aiming to point means of defense. For this, uses the deductive approach and starts of the electronic contracting to discuss the legal protection of the consumer in light of the capturing and processing of personal data by the furnisher. Considering the absence of law about personal data, concludes that electronic contracting expands the consumer vulnerability, which requires the principles application of the Consumer Protection Code, adding the Internet Civil Mark in relation to the privacy protection.

  15. Potential Effects of a Ban on Direct-to-Consumer Advertising of New Prescription Drugs

    OpenAIRE

    Congressional Budget Office

    2011-01-01

    Concerns about direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs have spurred recent proposals for a moratorium on advertising brand-name prescription drugs to consumers during the first two years following a drug's approval by the Food and Drug Administration. This Congressional Budget Office brief examines some of the effects of such a moratorium, drawing on data documenting direct-to-consumer advertising and other promotional activities used by pharmaceutical producers as well as academ...

  16. Direct-to-consumer advertising of pharmaceuticals: developed countries experiences and Turkey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Semin, Semih; Aras, Sahbal; Guldal, Dilek

    2007-03-01

    While several major problems concerning drugs occur in the world, the attempts to direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) has gained a considerable impetus lately in both developed and developing countries. DTCA has increasingly become an appealing advertising alternative for the pharmaceutical industry as drug companies have come to wrestle with such problems as the expansion of the drug market; the decline of the medical representatives' work efficiency; drug reimbursement restrictions; and the escalating role of the Internet in the consumer market. Some of the main disadvantages of the DTCA are: increasing drug expenditures, unnecessary drug consumption and adverse effect risks. Even though the influence of pharmaceuticals on health services and the economy hold the same importance in the developed and developing countries, its negative consequences have increased by encompassing developing countries in its grip. Therefore, in this review, using Turkey as an example, the situation of direct-to-consumer advertisements in developing countries is analysed in relation with developed countries.

  17. Consumers' perceptions of personal decision-making: Its relation to cognitive dissonance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Brijball

    2000-06-01

    Full Text Available The study assesses consumers' perceptions of their personal decision-making ability and process. The empirical analysis was undertaken on a sample of 200 new motor vehicle consumers. The results indicate that the majority of the consumers displayed confidence in the decisions they took, believing they engaged in high quality and correct decision-making and were able to conclude good deals. The majority of consumers indicated that they were not influenced by external others and were not anxious during decision-making, although a significant percentage reported the impact of external influence and anxiety during purchases. Opsomming In hierdie studie word verbruikers se waameming van hulle eie besluitnemingsvermoe en proses geevalueer. Die empiriese ontleding is uitgevoer op n steekproefvan 200 eienaars van nuwe voertuie. Dit blyk uit die resultate, dat die meerderheid verbruikers vertroue gehad het in hulle besluitnemingsproses, dat hulle besluite korrek was en dat hulle n lonende transaksie beklink het. Die meerderheid het aangedui dat hulle nie beihvloed is deur eksteme invloede nie en dat hulle nie anstig was tydens die besluitnemingsproses nie, alhoewel n betekenisvolle persentasie van verbruikers wel hierdie invloede en angstigheid gedurende die aankoop ervaar het.

  18. Attitudes towards personal genomics among older Swiss adults: An exploratory study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura Mählmann

    2016-03-01

    Conclusion: This study indicates a relatively positive overall attitude towards personal genomic testing among older Swiss adults, a group not typically represented in surveys about personal genomics. Genomic data of older adults can be highly relevant to late life health and maintenance of quality of life. In addition they can be an invaluable source for better understanding of longevity, health and disease. Understanding the attitudes of this population towards genomic analyses, although important, remains under-examined.

  19. Internet-Based Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing: A Systematic Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Covolo, Loredana; Rubinelli, Sara; Ceretti, Elisabetta; Gelatti, Umberto

    2015-12-14

    Direct-to-consumer genetic tests (DTC-GT) are easily purchased through the Internet, independent of a physician referral or approval for testing, allowing the retrieval of genetic information outside the clinical context. There is a broad debate about the testing validity, their impact on individuals, and what people know and perceive about them. The aim of this review was to collect evidence on DTC-GT from a comprehensive perspective that unravels the complexity of the phenomenon. A systematic search was carried out through PubMed, Web of Knowledge, and Embase, in addition to Google Scholar according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist with the key term "Direct-to-consumer genetic test." In the final sample, 118 articles were identified. Articles were summarized in five categories according to their focus on (1) knowledge of, attitude toward use of, and perception of DTC-GT (n=37), (2) the impact of genetic risk information on users (n=37), (3) the opinion of health professionals (n=20), (4) the content of websites selling DTC-GT (n=16), and (5) the scientific evidence and clinical utility of the tests (n=14). Most of the articles analyzed the attitude, knowledge, and perception of DTC-GT, highlighting an interest in using DTC-GT, along with the need for a health care professional to help interpret the results. The articles investigating the content analysis of the websites selling these tests are in agreement that the information provided by the companies about genetic testing is not completely comprehensive for the consumer. Given that risk information can modify consumers' health behavior, there are surprisingly few studies carried out on actual consumers and they do not confirm the overall concerns on the possible impact of DTC-GT. Data from studies that investigate the quality of the tests offered confirm that they are not informative, have little predictive power, and do not measure genetic risk

  20. The role of personal values in Chinese consumers' food consumption decisions. A case study of healthy drinks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Pui Yee; Lusk, Karen; Mirosa, Miranda; Oey, Indrawati

    2014-02-01

    Differences in culture, language, and behavior between Chinese and Western consumers make entering the Chinese market a challenge. Chinese consumers may desire similar product features (e.g. brand name, quality, and flavor) to Western consumers but the value that consumers attach to the same product may differ cross-nationally. Besides values, an understanding of desired product attributes and the consequences linking to these values is also important. To the authors' knowledge, there is no published scientific research that investigates how personal values influence Chinese consumers' food consumption decisions. The aim of this research was to identify the links among product attributes, consequences of these attributes, and personal values associated with healthy drink consumption decisions within the Chinese market. Specifically, this research employed means-end chain theory and used association pattern technique (APT) as the main data collection technique to identify these links. Focus groups (n=6) were held in Hangzhou, China to identify the important attributes and consequences involved in the consumption decisions of healthy drinks. These attributes and consequences along with Schwartz's 10 basic values were used to construct the matrices included in the APT survey. A total of 600 APT surveys were administered in six different companies in Hangzhou, with 570 returned. Construction of the hierarchical value map (HVM) identified four of Schwartz's personal values influencing Chinese consumers' healthy drink consumption decisions: security, hedonism, benevolence, and self-direction. Food safety was the foremost concern for Chinese consumers when choosing healthy drinks. Chinese consumers also sought a good tasting and nutritious drink that was good value for money. Results from this study provide food marketers with an in-depth understanding of Chinese consumers' healthy drink consumption decisions. Implications and recommendations are provided that will assist

  1. Mental Health Care Providers' Views of Their Work with Consumers and Their Reports of Recovery-Orientation, Job Satisfaction, and Personal Growth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Osborn, Lawrence A; Stein, Catherine H

    2016-10-01

    The research examined the role of mental health care providers' perceptions of their professional relationships with consumers in understanding their reports of agency recovery-oriented services and their own sense of job satisfaction and personal growth. Multidisciplinary community mental health care providers (N = 105) responded to an online self-report questionnaire. Providers' reports of higher levels of working alliance and greater provider directiveness in working with consumers was significantly related to providers' reports of higher levels of agency recovery-orientation and higher levels of personal growth. Providers' reports of working alliance accounted for the largest proportion of variance in providers' reports of job satisfaction. Mental health providers' perceptions of relationships with consumers are central to understanding providers' views of agency recovery-orientation and sense of professional and personal well-being.

  2. Unveiling health attitudes and creating good-for-you foods: the genomics metaphor, consumer innovative web-based technologies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moskowitz, H R; German, J B; Saguy, I S

    2005-01-01

    This article presents an integrated analysis of three emerging knowledge bases in the nutrition and consumer products industries, and how they may effect the food industry. These knowledge bases produce new vistas for corporate product development, especially with respect to those foods that are positioned as 'good for you.' Couched within the current thinking of state-of-the-art knowledge and information, this article highlights how today's thinking about accelerated product development can be introduced into the food and health industries to complement these three research areas. The 3 knowledge bases are: the genomics revolution, which has opened new insights into understanding the interactions of personal needs of individual consumers with nutritionally relevant components of the foods; the investigation of food choice by scientific studies; the development of large scale databases (mega-studies) about the consumer mind. These knowledge bases, combined with new methods to understand the consumer through research, make possible a more focused development. The confluence of trends outlined in this article provides the corporation with the beginnings of a new path to a knowledge-based, principles-grounded product-development system. The approaches hold the potential to create foods based upon people's nutritional requirements combined with their individual preferences. Integrating these emerging knowledge areas with new consumer research techniques may well reshape how the food industry develops new products to satisfy consumer needs and wants.

  3. Impact of celebrity pitch in direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhutada, Nilesh S; Menon, Ajit M; Deshpande, Aparna D; Perri, Matthew

    2012-01-01

    Online surveys were conducted to determine the impact of endorser credibility, endorser effectiveness, and consumers' involvement in direct-to-consumer advertising. In a randomized posttest only study, using the elaboration likelihood model, survey participants (U.S. adults) were either exposed to a fictitious prescription drug ad with a celebrity or a noncelebrity endorser. There was no significant difference in credibility and effectiveness between the celebrity and the noncelebrity endorser. High involvement consumers viewed the ad more favorably and exhibited significantly stronger drug inquiry intentions during their next doctor visit. Further, consumers' involvement did not moderate the effect of celebrity endorser.

  4. Trends and Gaps in Awareness of Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Tests From 2007 to 2014.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Apathy, Nate C; Menser, Terri; Keeran, Lindsay M; Ford, Eric W; Harle, Christopher A; Huerta, Timothy R

    2018-06-01

    Direct-to-consumer genetic tests for inherited disease risks have gained recent approvals from the Food and Drug Administration, and interest in these tests has continued to grow. Broad use of these tests coupled with planning and discussion with health providers regarding genetic risks and potential protective behavior changes have been proposed as preventive tools to reduce health disparities and improve equity in health outcomes. However, awareness of direct-to-consumer genetic testing has historically demonstrated differences by education, income, and race; these disparities could jeopardize potential benefits by limiting access and use. The national survey data from the Health Information National Trends Survey was analyzed to understand how overall awareness of direct-to-consumer genetic testing and disparities in awareness across sociodemographic groups have changed since 2007. The findings showed persistent disparities, as well as a widening gap in awareness between Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites (OR 2007 =1.52, OR 2014 =0.58, p change =0.0056), despite overall increases in awareness over time. Given these findings, policies regulating direct-to-consumer genetic tests should prioritize equitable distribution of benefits by including provisions that counteract prevailing disparities in awareness. Copyright © 2018 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Pharmaceutical direct-to-consumer advertising and US Hispanic patient-consumers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barker, Kristin K; Vasquez Guzman, Cirila Estela

    2015-11-01

    Hispanic Americans use prescription medications at markedly lower rates than do non-Hispanic whites. At the same time, Hispanics are the largest racial-ethnic minority in the USA. In a recent effort to reach this underdeveloped market, the pharmaceutical industry has begun to create Spanish-language direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) campaigns. The substantive content of these campaigns is being tailored to appeal to the purported cultural values, beliefs and identities of Latino consumers. We compare English-language and Spanish-language television commercials for two prescription medications. We highlight the importance of selling medicine to a medically under-served population as a key marketing element of Latino-targeted DTCA. We define selling medicine as the pharmaceutical industry's explicit promotion of medicine's cultural authority as a means of expanding its markets and profits. We reflect on the prospects of this development in terms of promoting medicalisation in a US subgroup that has heretofore eluded the pharmaceutical industry's marketing influence. Our analysis draws on Nikolas Rose's insights concerning variations in the degree to which certain groups of people are more medically made up than others, by reflecting on the racial and ethnic character of medicalisation in the USA and the role DTCA plays in shaping medicalisation trends. A video abstract of this article can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZabCle9-jHw&feature=youtu.be. © 2015 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness.

  6. Factors influencing consumers' attitudinal and behavioral responses to direct-to-consumer and over-the-counter drug advertising.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Mina; Whitehill King, Karen; Reid, Leonard N

    2015-04-01

    Using a model developed from the research literature, the authors compared consumers' attitudinal and behavioral responses to direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising (DCTA) and over-the-counter nonprescription drug advertising (OTCA) of drugs. Adults 18 years of age and older who had taken any prescription drugs in the past 6 months completed online survey questionnaires. Variables measured included demographics (age, gender, race, education, and income), health-related characteristics (health status, prescription and over-the-counter drug use, health consciousness, and involvement with prescription or over-the-counter drugs), perceived amount of attention and exposure to DTCA and OTCA, attitudinal outcomes (skepticism toward DTCA/OTCA and attitude toward DTCA/OTCA), and behavioral outcomes triggered by DTCA and OTCA. The findings indicate that exposure to drug advertising is one of the most significant predictors of attitudinal and behavioral outcomes. Some audience factors such as health status, involvement with drugs, health consciousness, drug use, income, and age also were differentially associated with consumer responses to drug advertising.

  7. Health literacy knowledge among direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising professionals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mackert, Michael

    2011-09-01

    While direct-to-consumer (DTC) prescription drug advertising has been the subject of ongoing debate, to this point the perspective of the advertising professionals engaged in creating these ads has been absent from the discussion. This study, consisting of in-depth interviews with advertising professionals (N = 22), was an initial investigation focused on these individuals. The primary purpose of this study was to explore advertising professionals' understanding of health literacy-consumers' ability to obtain, process, and act on health information; with that context in place, participants' views on the role of DTC advertising, industry regulations, and the future of the industry were also investigated. While some participants knew nothing about health literacy or had a relatively simple conceptualization (e.g., grade level of written materials), others exhibited more nuanced understanding of health literacy (e.g., the need to pair relevant images with text to enhance understanding). Participants spoke of the potential public health benefit of DTC advertising in educating consumers about health issues, but were realistic that such efforts on the part of pharmaceutical companies were driven primarily by business concerns-educational messages need to be tied directly to an advertised medication and its benefits. These professionals spoke of industry regulations as presenting additional barriers to effective communication and suggested that industry trends toward more niche products will necessitate more patient education about less well-known health issues. Directions for future research are considered, as more investigation of this understudied group is necessary to enrich the DTC prescription drug advertising debate.

  8. Voting with their mice: personal genome testing and the "participatory turn" in disease research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prainsack, Barbara

    2011-05-01

    While the availability of genome tests on the internet has given rise to heated debates about the likely impact on personal genome information on test-takers, on insurance, and on healthcare systems, in this article I argue that a more tangible effect of personal genomics is that it has started to change how participation in disease research is conceived and enacted. I examine three models of research participation that personal genomics customers are encouraged to engage in. I conclude with an evaluation of the pitfalls and benefits of "crowdsourcing" genetic disease research in the context of personal genomics.

  9. Evaluating the educational content of direct-to-consumer fulfillment materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chao, Blenda A

    2005-03-15

    The educational content of direct-to-consumer (DTC) fulfillment materials was evaluated. A list of prescription drug products advertised to consumers via broadcast media from August 1997 through April 20, 2002, was obtained from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The prescription products were categorized by disease state on the basis of their FDA-approved indications. Eight disease states were selected for analysis purposes and included acne, allergic rhinitis, depression, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, migraine, overactive bladder, and osteoporosis. A total of 31 products were advertised directly to consumers for the eight targeted disease states, 26 of which met the inclusion criteria. The educational content of the advertisements for these 26 products was assessed by analyzing the materials' consistency, instructiveness, and consumer orientation. Two of the 26 materials analyzed contained claims that potentially broadened a drug's indication from that listed in the FDA-approved labeling. The majority of materials listed the condition name (92%), symptom information (77%), the drug's mechanism of action (65%), the drug's time to onset of action (54%), and supportive behaviors (62%). Twenty of 24 DTC fulfillment materials (83%) were not written at the reading level of eighth grade or lower. Fifteen of the 26 mailings contained educational diagrams, 52% of which met the criteria for necessity, and a greater percentage met the criteria for suitability (90%), familiarity (86%), overall layout (88%), single concept (86%), and lack of distracting elements (100%). DTC fulfillment materials appear to have more educational content than DTC print advertisements but are still overwhelmingly deficient in meeting the recommended sixth to eighth-grade reading level.

  10. Matching phenotypes to whole genomes: Lessons learned from four iterations of the personal genome project community challenges.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cai, Binghuang; Li, Biao; Kiga, Nikki; Thusberg, Janita; Bergquist, Timothy; Chen, Yun-Ching; Niknafs, Noushin; Carter, Hannah; Tokheim, Collin; Beleva-Guthrie, Violeta; Douville, Christopher; Bhattacharya, Rohit; Yeo, Hui Ting Grace; Fan, Jean; Sengupta, Sohini; Kim, Dewey; Cline, Melissa; Turner, Tychele; Diekhans, Mark; Zaucha, Jan; Pal, Lipika R; Cao, Chen; Yu, Chen-Hsin; Yin, Yizhou; Carraro, Marco; Giollo, Manuel; Ferrari, Carlo; Leonardi, Emanuela; Tosatto, Silvio C E; Bobe, Jason; Ball, Madeleine; Hoskins, Roger A; Repo, Susanna; Church, George; Brenner, Steven E; Moult, John; Gough, Julian; Stanke, Mario; Karchin, Rachel; Mooney, Sean D

    2017-09-01

    The advent of next-generation sequencing has dramatically decreased the cost for whole-genome sequencing and increased the viability for its application in research and clinical care. The Personal Genome Project (PGP) provides unrestricted access to genomes of individuals and their associated phenotypes. This resource enabled the Critical Assessment of Genome Interpretation (CAGI) to create a community challenge to assess the bioinformatics community's ability to predict traits from whole genomes. In the CAGI PGP challenge, researchers were asked to predict whether an individual had a particular trait or profile based on their whole genome. Several approaches were used to assess submissions, including ROC AUC (area under receiver operating characteristic curve), probability rankings, the number of correct predictions, and statistical significance simulations. Overall, we found that prediction of individual traits is difficult, relying on a strong knowledge of trait frequency within the general population, whereas matching genomes to trait profiles relies heavily upon a small number of common traits including ancestry, blood type, and eye color. When a rare genetic disorder is present, profiles can be matched when one or more pathogenic variants are identified. Prediction accuracy has improved substantially over the last 6 years due to improved methodology and a better understanding of features. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  11. Costs and consequences of direct-to-consumer advertising for clopidogrel in Medicaid.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Law, Michael R; Soumerai, Stephen B; Adams, Alyce S; Majumdar, Sumit R

    2009-11-23

    Direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) is assumed to be a major driver of rising pharmaceutical costs. Yet, research on how it affects costs is limited. Therefore, we studied clopidogrel, a commonly used and heavily marketed antiplatelet agent, which was first sold in 1998 and first direct-to-consumer advertised in 2001. We examined pharmacy data from 27 Medicaid programs from 1999 through 2005. We used interrupted time series analysis to analyze changes in the number of units dispensed, cost per unit dispensed, and total pharmacy expenditures after DTCA initiation. In 1999 and 2000, there was no DTCA for clopidogrel; from 2001 through 2005, DTCA spending exceeded $350 million. Direct-to-consumer advertising did not change the preexisting trend in the number of clopidogrel units dispensed per 1000 enrollees (P = .10). However, there was a sudden and sustained increase in cost per unit of $0.40 after DTCA initiation (95% confidence interval, $0.31-$0.49; P consumer advertising was not associated with an increase in clopidogrel use over and above preexisting trends. However, Medicaid pharmacy expenditures increased substantially after the initiation of DTCA because of a concomitant increase in the cost per unit. If drug price increases after DTCA initiation are common, there are important implications for payers and for policy makers in the United States and elsewhere.

  12. The effect of personality traits on consumers' preferences for extra virgin olive oil

    OpenAIRE

    Yangui, Ahmed; Costa Font, Montserrat; Gil Roig, José María

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this paper is to investigate the role of psychological factors on building the consumer's behavioral decision process towards extra virgin olive oil, with special attention paid to the organic attribute. The paper hypothesises that differences in consumers' personality traits, such as food-related personality traits, purchasing habits and lifestyles, affect consumers' preferences for extra virgin olive oil. The methodological framework is based on the specification of an extended h...

  13. Genic intolerance to functional variation and the interpretation of personal genomes.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Slavé Petrovski

    Full Text Available A central challenge in interpreting personal genomes is determining which mutations most likely influence disease. Although progress has been made in scoring the functional impact of individual mutations, the characteristics of the genes in which those mutations are found remain largely unexplored. For example, genes known to carry few common functional variants in healthy individuals may be judged more likely to cause certain kinds of disease than genes known to carry many such variants. Until now, however, it has not been possible to develop a quantitative assessment of how well genes tolerate functional genetic variation on a genome-wide scale. Here we describe an effort that uses sequence data from 6503 whole exome sequences made available by the NHLBI Exome Sequencing Project (ESP. Specifically, we develop an intolerance scoring system that assesses whether genes have relatively more or less functional genetic variation than expected based on the apparently neutral variation found in the gene. To illustrate the utility of this intolerance score, we show that genes responsible for Mendelian diseases are significantly more intolerant to functional genetic variation than genes that do not cause any known disease, but with striking variation in intolerance among genes causing different classes of genetic disease. We conclude by showing that use of an intolerance ranking system can aid in interpreting personal genomes and identifying pathogenic mutations.

  14. To ban or not to ban: direct-to-consumer advertising and human rights analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alex Wellington

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available The issues surrounding Direct-To-Consumer Advertising of pharmaceuticals are ripe for scrutiny through the lens of Human Rights analysis. Among the human rights most decisively engaged by DTCA is the right to autonomy in health-related decision making, which in turn incorporates right of access to health-related information. The latter incorporates, in part, right of access to reliable and beneficial information through the avenues of commercial speech among others. Another crucial human right is the right not to be harmed by unsafe consumer products through corporate malfeasance or negligence. The most commonly invoked policy options in the context of DTCA are either an outright ban or strengthening regulatory oversight in combination with voluntary guidelines. Banning Direct-To-Consumer Advertising risks being both over inclusive and under inclusive as a policy option. A wholesale ban risks being over inclusive in that it could deprive consumers of information about medications with a positive benefit-risk profile, ones that could enhance their quality of health and well being. Thus it risks being overly paternalistic. Banning DTCA, by itself, is under inclusive in that it is insufficient to address the ways that unadvertised drugs can pose significant risks to consumers. Other policy measures would be most optimal to deal with the very serious deficits in the processes by which prescription drugs undergo clinical trials, and garner regulatory approval prior to their promotion in the marketplace. A more finely tuned approach to regulatory oversight is endorsed, one involving a proactive and precautionary approach reliant upon prior approval. Such an approach could help to address the very serious concerns about potential infringements of the human right not to be harmed by unsafe consumer products through corporate malfeasance or negligence.

  15. Consumers' reports on the health effects of direct-to-consumer drug advertising.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weissman, Joel S; Blumenthal, David; Silk, Alvin J; Zapert, Kinga; Newman, Michael; Leitman, Robert

    2003-01-01

    We conducted a national telephone survey about health care experiences associated with direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription drugs. Among the 35 percent of our sample who had a physician visit during which DTCA was discussed, 25 percent received a new diagnosis, of which 43 percent were considered high priority according to authoritative sources. More than half also reported actions taken by their physician other than prescribing the advertised drug. Despite concerns about DTCA's negative consequences, we found no differences in health effects between patients who took advertised drugs and those who took other prescription drugs.

  16. Personalized Medicine in a New Genomic Era: Ethical and Legal Aspects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shoaib, Maria; Rameez, Mansoor Ali Merchant; Hussain, Syed Ather; Madadin, Mohammed; Menezes, Ritesh G

    2017-08-01

    The genome of two completely unrelated individuals is quite similar apart from minor variations called single nucleotide polymorphisms which contribute to the uniqueness of each and every person. These single nucleotide polymorphisms are of great interest clinically as they are useful in figuring out the susceptibility of certain individuals to particular diseases and for recognizing varied responses to pharmacological interventions. This gives rise to the idea of 'personalized medicine' as an exciting new therapeutic science in this genomic era. Personalized medicine suggests a unique treatment strategy based on an individual's genetic make-up. Its key principles revolve around applied pharmaco-genomics, pharmaco-kinetics and pharmaco-proteomics. Herein, the ethical and legal aspects of personalized medicine in a new genomic era are briefly addressed. The ultimate goal is to comprehensively recognize all relevant forms of genetic variation in each individual and be able to interpret this information in a clinically meaningful manner within the ambit of ethical and legal considerations. The authors of this article firmly believe that personalized medicine has the potential to revolutionize the current landscape of medicine as it makes its way into clinical practice.

  17. Case managers' experiences of personal growth: learning from consumers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stein, Catherine H; Craft, Scott A

    2007-04-01

    This study examines aspects of case managers' perceived personal growth in their work with consumers. Using a sample of 98 case managers, the psychometric properties of a brief self-report measure of personal growth of case managers were examined. The Case Manager Personal Growth Scale (CMPG) showed good reliability and construct validity as evidenced by negative correlations with scores on professional burnout and positive correlations with personal accomplishment and job satisfaction scores. CMPG scores were unrelated to social desirability scores or caseload size and positively related to age and tenure in the mental health system. Results suggest the strong relevance of the construct of personal growth for case managers.

  18. Fair balance in direct-to-consumer antidepressant print and television advertising, 1995-2007.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Avery, Rosemary J; Eisenberg, Matthew; Simon, Kosali I

    2012-01-01

    The authors evaluated fair balance in the presentation of risks and benefits in a large sample of direct-to-consumer advertising for prescription antidepressant medications appearing in magazines (1995-2006) and television (1999-2007) to assess how well they meet U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines. Using content analysis to capture relevant dimensions of the ads, results indicated that (a) considerably less attention is given to risks relative to benefits and (b) implicit ad content favors communication of drug benefits over risks, but that fair balance in direct-to-consumer ads has improved over time. The authors discuss policy implications and explore future research directions.

  19. European consumers' perceived seriousness of their eating habits relative to other personal health risks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoefkens, Christine; Valli, Veronica; Mazzocchi, Mario; Traill, W Bruce; Verbeke, Wim

    2013-11-01

    Poor eating habits are a key priority on the European public health agenda due to their large health and economic implications. Healthy eating interventions may be more effective if consumers perceive their eating habits as a more serious personal health risk. This study investigates European consumers' perceived seriousness of their eating habits, its determinants and relative importance among other potential personal health risks including weight, stress and pollution. A quantitative survey was conducted during Spring 2011 among samples representative for age, gender and region in five European countries (n=3003). Participants were neutral towards the seriousness of their eating habits for personal health. Eating habits were ranked third after stress and weight. Gender, age, country, health motive, body mass index, and subjective health status were important determinants of the perceived seriousness of their eating habits, whereas perceived financial condition, smoking and education were insignificant. Eating habits were perceived more seriously by women, Italians, obese, and younger individuals with stronger health motives and fair subjective health status. Nevertheless, other health risks were often considered more important than eating habits. More or specific efforts are required to increase Europeans' awareness of the seriousness of their eating habits for personal health. © 2013.

  20. Challenges, Solutions, and Quality Metrics of Personal Genome Assembly in Advancing Precision Medicine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wenming Xiao

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Even though each of us shares more than 99% of the DNA sequences in our genome, there are millions of sequence codes or structure in small regions that differ between individuals, giving us different characteristics of appearance or responsiveness to medical treatments. Currently, genetic variants in diseased tissues, such as tumors, are uncovered by exploring the differences between the reference genome and the sequences detected in the diseased tissue. However, the public reference genome was derived with the DNA from multiple individuals. As a result of this, the reference genome is incomplete and may misrepresent the sequence variants of the general population. The more reliable solution is to compare sequences of diseased tissue with its own genome sequence derived from tissue in a normal state. As the price to sequence the human genome has dropped dramatically to around $1000, it shows a promising future of documenting the personal genome for every individual. However, de novo assembly of individual genomes at an affordable cost is still challenging. Thus, till now, only a few human genomes have been fully assembled. In this review, we introduce the history of human genome sequencing and the evolution of sequencing platforms, from Sanger sequencing to emerging “third generation sequencing” technologies. We present the currently available de novo assembly and post-assembly software packages for human genome assembly and their requirements for computational infrastructures. We recommend that a combined hybrid assembly with long and short reads would be a promising way to generate good quality human genome assemblies and specify parameters for the quality assessment of assembly outcomes. We provide a perspective view of the benefit of using personal genomes as references and suggestions for obtaining a quality personal genome. Finally, we discuss the usage of the personal genome in aiding vaccine design and development, monitoring host

  1. Direct to consumer advertising in healthcare: history, benefits, and concerns.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adeoye, Sanjo; Bozic, Kevin J

    2007-04-01

    Physicians, health plans, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and medical device manufacturers have all recognized the benefits of marketing their products and services directly to the end user. As a result, there has been tremendous growth of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA), illustrated by the increase in spending on DTCA related to prescription drugs from an estimated $55 million in 1991 to $3.2 billion in 2003. This increase in DTCA has sparked vigorous debate among the major stakeholders in healthcare over the benefits and drawbacks of advertising directly to the healthcare consumer. Issues with DTCA include its impact on the doctor-patient relationship, patient education, inappropriate resource utilization, healthcare costs, healthcare quality, and overall patient wellbeing. Orthopaedic surgery is no longer insulated from this expanding trend in DTCA, as orthopaedic surgeons and hospitals are responsible for a substantial portion of DTCA related to orthopaedic devices and procedures. The Food and Drug Administration has a limited regulatory role and limited power related to DTCA due to considerable inefficiencies in its review and disciplinary processes. Therefore, physicians, including orthopaedic surgeons, must take a leadership role on this issue to ensure the integrity of information provided to patients and to protect the sanctity of the doctor-patient relationship.

  2. The (Surprising) Impact of Televised Antidepressant Direct-to-Consumer Advertising on the Stigmatization of Mental Illness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rainone, Nicolette; Oodal, Reshma; Niederdeppe, Jeff

    2018-04-01

    This study tests the effect of pharmaceutical Direct-to-Consumer Advertising (DTCA) for antidepressants on perceived stigma surrounding mental disorders. We randomly assigned participants into one of three experimental conditions: antidepressant DTCA with portrayals of discrimination, cognitive separation, and stereotyping (DCSS), antidepressant DTCA without these representations, or a no-exposure control. Contrary to study hypotheses, participants who viewed ads containing portrayals of DCSS were significantly less likely to want to socially distance themselves from those with mental illnesses than those assigned to the no-exposure control condition, even when controlling for demographics and personal experience with mental illness. We discuss plausible explanations for the unexpected pattern of effects and resulting implications for future research on the topic.

  3. Trends in Exposure to Chemicals in Personal Care and Consumer Products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Calafat, Antonia M; Valentin-Blasini, Liza; Ye, Xiaoyun

    2015-12-01

    Synthetic organic chemicals can be used in personal care and consumer products. Data on potential human health effects of these chemicals are limited-sometimes even contradictory-but because several of these chemicals are toxic in experimental animals, alternative compounds are entering consumer markets. Nevertheless, limited information exists on consequent exposure trends to both the original chemicals and their replacements. Biomonitoring (measuring concentrations of chemicals or their metabolites in people) provides invaluable information for exposure assessment. We use phthalates and bisphenol A-known industrial chemicals-and organophosphate insecticides as case studies to show exposure trends to these chemicals and their replacements (e.g., other phthalates, non-phthalate plasticizers, various bisphenols, pyrethroid insecticides) among the US general population. We compare US trends to national trends from Canada and Germany. Exposure to the original compounds is still prevalent among these general populations, but exposures to alternative chemicals may be increasing.

  4. Genomic information as a behavioral health intervention: can it work?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bloss, Cinnamon S; Madlensky, Lisa; Schork, Nicholas J; Topol, Eric J

    2011-01-01

    Individuals can now obtain their personal genomic information via direct-to-consumer genetic testing, but what, if any, impact will this have on their lifestyle and health? A recent longitudinal cohort study of individuals who underwent consumer genome scanning found minimal impacts of testing on risk-reducing lifestyle behaviors, such as diet and exercise. These results raise an important question: is personal genomic information likely to beneficially impact public health through motivation of lifestyle behavioral change? In this article, we review the literature on lifestyle behavioral change in response to genetic testing for common disease susceptibility variants. We find that only a few studies have been carried out, and that those that have been done have yielded little evidence to suggest that the mere provision of genetic information alone results in widespread changes in lifestyle health behaviors. We suggest that further study of this issue is needed, in particular studies that examine response to multiplex testing for multiple genetic markers and conditions. This will be critical as we anticipate the wide availability of whole-genome sequencing and more comprehensive phenotyping of individuals. We also note that while simple communication of genomic information and disease susceptibility may be sufficient to catalyze lifestyle changes in some highly motivated groups of individuals, for others, additional strategies may be required to prompt changes, including more sophisticated means of risk communication (e.g., in the context of social norm feedback) either alone or in combination with other promising interventions (e.g., real-time wireless health monitoring devices). PMID:22199991

  5. Privacy in the Genomic Era

    Science.gov (United States)

    NAVEED, MUHAMMAD; AYDAY, ERMAN; CLAYTON, ELLEN W.; FELLAY, JACQUES; GUNTER, CARL A.; HUBAUX, JEAN-PIERRE; MALIN, BRADLEY A.; WANG, XIAOFENG

    2015-01-01

    Genome sequencing technology has advanced at a rapid pace and it is now possible to generate highly-detailed genotypes inexpensively. The collection and analysis of such data has the potential to support various applications, including personalized medical services. While the benefits of the genomics revolution are trumpeted by the biomedical community, the increased availability of such data has major implications for personal privacy; notably because the genome has certain essential features, which include (but are not limited to) (i) an association with traits and certain diseases, (ii) identification capability (e.g., forensics), and (iii) revelation of family relationships. Moreover, direct-to-consumer DNA testing increases the likelihood that genome data will be made available in less regulated environments, such as the Internet and for-profit companies. The problem of genome data privacy thus resides at the crossroads of computer science, medicine, and public policy. While the computer scientists have addressed data privacy for various data types, there has been less attention dedicated to genomic data. Thus, the goal of this paper is to provide a systematization of knowledge for the computer science community. In doing so, we address some of the (sometimes erroneous) beliefs of this field and we report on a survey we conducted about genome data privacy with biomedical specialists. Then, after characterizing the genome privacy problem, we review the state-of-the-art regarding privacy attacks on genomic data and strategies for mitigating such attacks, as well as contextualizing these attacks from the perspective of medicine and public policy. This paper concludes with an enumeration of the challenges for genome data privacy and presents a framework to systematize the analysis of threats and the design of countermeasures as the field moves forward. PMID:26640318

  6. Privacy in the Genomic Era.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naveed, Muhammad; Ayday, Erman; Clayton, Ellen W; Fellay, Jacques; Gunter, Carl A; Hubaux, Jean-Pierre; Malin, Bradley A; Wang, Xiaofeng

    2015-09-01

    Genome sequencing technology has advanced at a rapid pace and it is now possible to generate highly-detailed genotypes inexpensively. The collection and analysis of such data has the potential to support various applications, including personalized medical services. While the benefits of the genomics revolution are trumpeted by the biomedical community, the increased availability of such data has major implications for personal privacy; notably because the genome has certain essential features, which include (but are not limited to) (i) an association with traits and certain diseases, (ii) identification capability (e.g., forensics), and (iii) revelation of family relationships. Moreover, direct-to-consumer DNA testing increases the likelihood that genome data will be made available in less regulated environments, such as the Internet and for-profit companies. The problem of genome data privacy thus resides at the crossroads of computer science, medicine, and public policy. While the computer scientists have addressed data privacy for various data types, there has been less attention dedicated to genomic data. Thus, the goal of this paper is to provide a systematization of knowledge for the computer science community. In doing so, we address some of the (sometimes erroneous) beliefs of this field and we report on a survey we conducted about genome data privacy with biomedical specialists. Then, after characterizing the genome privacy problem, we review the state-of-the-art regarding privacy attacks on genomic data and strategies for mitigating such attacks, as well as contextualizing these attacks from the perspective of medicine and public policy. This paper concludes with an enumeration of the challenges for genome data privacy and presents a framework to systematize the analysis of threats and the design of countermeasures as the field moves forward.

  7. Consumer Mobile Health Apps: Current State, Barriers, and Future Directions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kao, Cheng-Kai; Liebovitz, David M

    2017-05-01

    This paper discusses the current state, barriers, and future directions of consumer-facing applications (apps). There are currently more than 165,000 mobile health apps publicly available in major app stores, the vast majority of which are designed for patients. The top 2 categories are wellness management and disease management apps, whereas other categories include self-diagnosis, medication reminder, and electronic patient portal apps. Apps specific to physical medicine and rehabilitation also are reviewed. These apps have the potential to provide low-cost, around-the-clock access to high-quality, evidence-based health information to end users on a global scale. However, they have not yet lived up to their potential due to multiple barriers, including lack of regulatory oversight, limited evidence-based literature, and concerns of privacy and security. The future directions may consist of improving data integration into the health care system, an interoperable app platform allowing access to electronic health record data, cloud-based personal health record across health care networks, and increasing app prescription by health care providers. For consumer mobile health apps to fully contribute value to health care delivery and chronic disease management, all stakeholders within the ecosystem must collaborate to overcome the significant barriers. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. The opinions and experiences of family physicians regarding direct-to-consumer advertising.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lipsky, M S; Taylor, C A

    1997-12-01

    The use of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) by pharmaceutical companies is increasing. Our study examines the opinions and experiences of family physicians concerning DTCA. A survey instrument designed to elicit the opinions, experiences, and perceptions of family physicians about DTCA was sent to a 2% (N = 880) systematic sampling of active physician members of the American Academy of Family Physicians. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze responses with t tests and chi 2 tests for independence used to examine subgroup response differences. Four hundred fifty-four (52%) physicians responded to the survey. Most physicians (95%) had encountered DTCA personally, and had been approached by an average of 7 patients over the previous 6 months with requests for specific prescription drugs. Prescription antihistamines and antihypertensive drugs were the most commonly requested. Overall, 80% of the physician respondents believed that print DTCA was not a good idea, while 84% expressed negative feelings about television and radio advertising. Both groups cited "misleading biased view" and "increased costs" as the most common disadvantages. Some reported benefits included "better informed patients" and "promoting physician-patient communication." Overall, the study group physicians had negative feelings about DTCA in both print and electronic media. Studies directly examining patient perspectives, as well as cost benefits, are necessary to test the validity of the physicians' perceptions about DTCA.

  9. Nonbranded or branded direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising-which is more effective?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rollins, Brent L; King, Karen; Zinkhan, George; Perri, Matthew

    2011-01-01

    Recently, pharmaceutical manufacturers have increased the amount of nonbranded, disease-education focused, direct-to-consumer advertisements. A comparison to branded, product-specific, ads was examined through a series of survey questions measuring consumer attitudes and the role of involvement. Nonbranded ads compared favorably to branded ads and should remain a viable part of the marketing mix. Consumers' level of disease state involvement was the strongest determinant of attitudes overall and within the two ad groupings, as highly involved consumers had significantly more positives attitudes regarding the nonbranded ads. Regardless of involvement level, however, nonbranded ads maintained positive attitude levels.

  10. A survey on relationship among consumer personal characteristics, brand personality and brand love

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ali Eilaghi Karvandi

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Consumer’s personality traits, as one of the most important aspects of human psychological tendency, may influence people towards different brands. Therefore, the owners of most well-known brands also try to learn more about people’s personal characteristics to gain more market shares. The purpose of this paper is to find out more about consumer personality, which creates motivation in consumer’s mind and to learn more about the effect of this image on consumer’s interest on purchasing products. The population of this survey includes all people in city of Tehran, Iran who own one of Apple’s products. The results of the survey have indicated that neuroticism, extroversion, openness, compatibility, loyalty and brand love, as the main characteristics of brand personality, maintained positive impacts on brand love.

  11. Using social cognitive theory to explain consumers' behavioral intentions in response to direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Young, Henry N; Lipowski, Earlene E; Cline, Rebecca J W

    2005-06-01

    Previous research describing consumers' communication behaviors in response to direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) suggests a social cognitive rationale to explain DTCA-related communication behavior. Guided by social cognitive theory, the objective of this study was to explore outcome expectancy and self-efficacy beliefs as predictors of individuals' intentions to communicate with their physicians about an advertised drug. One hundred and seven female college students completed a questionnaire, read an advertisement for an oral contraceptive drug, and completed a second questionnaire. The questionnaires assessed participants' self-efficacy and outcome expectancy beliefs, intended communication behavior, and demographic information. Pearson product-moment correlation analyses showed that outcome expectancy (r=0.75, Pbehavior (B=1.56, Padvertised drug [t(106)=14.75, Pconsumers' plans for interacting with physicians in response to DTCA. Health care providers can use these results to guide communication with patients regarding DTCA and meet patients' drug-related informational expectations.

  12. The role of attitudinal motivations and collective efficacy on Chinese consumers' intentions to engage in personal behaviors to mitigate climate change.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xiao

    2018-01-01

    The Chinese government has recently pledged to reduce its CO 2 emissions by 2030. Industrial use of energy, however, is just one source of greenhouse gas emissions. Chinese consumers' more affluent lifestyles also lead to increased consumption of energy, which can result in greenhouse gas emissions. Based on a survey of 516 Chinese consumers, the present investigation examined whether their attitudinal motivations and collective efficacy are related to their intentions to engage in personal actions that may help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Results show that the utilitarian motivation related to the effectiveness of personal actions to alleviate climate change, motivation to express their moral values, self-esteem maintenance motivation, and collective efficacy predicted their attitudes toward these personal actions. Collective efficacy was in turn predicted by future orientation, norms, and the utilitarian motivation. Finally, attitudes and collective efficacy were two major considerations that predicted behavioral intentions. Implications for programs to promote low-carbon actions and lifestyles among Chinese consumers are discussed.

  13. Personalized direct marketing using digital publishing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kutty, Cheeniyil L.; Prabhakaran, Jayasree K.

    2006-02-01

    In today's cost-conscious business climate, marketing and customer service decision makers are increasingly concerned with how to increase customer response and retention rates. Companies spend large amounts of money on Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions and data acquisition but they don't know how to use the information stored in these systems to improve the effectiveness of their direct marketing campaigns. By leveraging the customer information they already have, companies can create personalized, printed direct mail programs that generate high response rates, greater returns, and stronger customer loyalty, while gaining a significant edge over their competitors. To reach the promised land of one-to-one direct marketing (personalized direct marketing - PDM), companies need an end-to-end solution for creating, managing, printing, and distributing personalized direct mail "on demand." Having access to digital printing is just one piece of the solution. A more complete approach includes leveraging personalization technology into a useful direct marketing tool that provides true one-to-one marketing, allowing variable images and text in a personalized direct mail. This paper discusses integration of CRM with a Print-on-Demand solution so as to create truly personalized printed marketing campaigns for one or many individuals based on the profile information, preferences and purchase history stored in the CRM.

  14. Awareness, attitudes and perspectives of direct-to-consumer genetic testing in Greece: a survey of potential consumers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mavroidopoulou, Vasiliki; Xera, Ellie; Mollaki, Vasiliki

    2015-09-01

    Direct-to-consumer genetic testing (DTCGT) is now offered by numerous companies. The present survey aimed to explore awareness, interest, reasons to take and refuse DTCGT, and understanding of results amongst 725 higher education students in Greece. A third of the responders were aware of DTCGT and interest was dependent on cost. More than 60% of the participants would undergo DTCGT to learn more about their health, to warn their children, so that their doctor can monitor their health and change their lifestyle. Nevertheless, they would prefer to consult their doctor first and expressed concerned about their personal data. After receiving results from a hypothetical DTC genetic test predicting higher risk for colon cancer, 59.5% of the responders thought that they could understand the results but 46.1% believed that the results have diagnostic value. In total, 83.6% of the participants would ask their doctor to explain the results and 70.4% would discuss results with their family. In conclusion, the majority of higher education students in Greece appreciate the benefits of genetic testing but with the involvement of their doctor. A physician's participation in the process and informing the public about the true value of genetic testing, are crucial to avoid misinterpretation of DTCGT results.

  15. Personal characteristics of coffee consumers and non-consumers, reasons and preferences for foods eaten with coffee among adults from the Federal District, Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alessandra Gaspar SOUSA

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract The aim of this study is to describe the characteristics of consumers and non-consumers, the reasons and foods associated with coffee intake among adults from the Federal District, Brazil. This is a cross-sectional population-based survey conducted by telephone interview (n= 1,368. We collected information on detailed coffee intake, socio-demographic aspects and personal characteristics. The coffee had an average daily intake of 319 mL. Individuals were more likely to drink coffee at an older age (68% and with higher body mass index (58%. The most cited reason for consuming coffee was the “personal pleasure” (48%, followed by “habit / tradition” of consuming coffee. Among non-consumers of this beverage, the main reason was not liking the taste and / or aroma of coffee (62%. The method of coffee preparation used was by infusion (86% and sugar was the main sweetener used by 83% of consumers. The majority of consumers (59% reported consuming coffee with certain foods such as bakery products. The results from our study may suggest that the popularity of coffee can be attributed to its taste, personal pleasure and habit, and the consumption is more likely to occur with the advance of age and with intake of other foods.

  16. Consumer Right to Information before Purchase: Research on the Romanian Online Stores for Technical Consumer Goods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carmen Balan

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available The goal of the present paper is to evaluate the status of the protection of consumer right to information before the purchase from Romanian online stores. The perspective focuses on technical consumer goods. The research pursued two major objectives. The former consisted in analysing the compliance of the online stores with the provisions of article 6 paragraph 1 of the Directive 2011/83/EU on consumer rights, relative to the information provided to potential buyers before the purchase. The latter was to identify the consumer awareness of the rights stipulated by article 6 of the directive, as well as to study the opinions of consumers relative to the information that online stores are compelled to supply before purchase. The first objective was accomplished by applying the content analysis method to the information available on the Web for a sample of 100 online stores. The second objective was achieved through the survey method on a sample of 351 persons from the 25 to 34 age group, residing in Bucharest. Compared to other studies, the major contributions of the present research approach are the following: the investigation of an extensive sample of online stores; the wider range of products; the focus on both online stores and consumers. The results show that improvements are needed in the level of compliance and in the consumer awareness of own rights.

  17. An Updated Analysis of Direct-to-Consumer Television Advertisements for Prescription Drugs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Applequist, Janelle; Ball, Jennifer Gerard

    2018-05-01

    In 2015, the American Medical Association called for a ban of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) for prescription drugs. Yet, the pharmaceutical industry spends more than ever on broadcast advertisements, with national health care costs largely driven by drug spending. An evaluation of these ads is critical, as these advertisements can impact the frequency which patients ask their doctors about medications. A content analysis of prime-time direct-to-consumer ads was conducted across 4 major cable television networks. The ad content (n = 61) was coded for factual claims made regarding target conditions, appeals used, portrayal of medications, and lifestyle characteristics shown. We found a substantial decrease in the percentage of ads that conveyed information about the conditions being targeted, such as risk factors (16%) and prevalence (16%). Positive emotional appeals (94%) continued to be emphasized; yet there was decreased use of negative emotional appeals (51%), pointing to an overall more positive portrayal of a patient's experience with a medication. The lifestyles portrayed in the sample largely featured how products can enable more recreational activities (69%) and fewer ads (7%) presented alternatives to product use. Direct-to-consumer advertising continued to promote prescription drugs above educating the population. Improvement in the educational value of DTCA is likely to require regulatory action rather than reliance on self-regulation by the pharmaceutical industry. © 2018 Annals of Family Medicine, Inc.

  18. Harvard Personal Genome Project: lessons from participatory public research

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-01-01

    Background Since its initiation in 2005, the Harvard Personal Genome Project has enrolled thousands of volunteers interested in publicly sharing their genome, health and trait data. Because these data are highly identifiable, we use an ‘open consent’ framework that purposefully excludes promises about privacy and requires participants to demonstrate comprehension prior to enrollment. Discussion Our model of non-anonymous, public genomes has led us to a highly participatory model of researcher-participant communication and interaction. The participants, who are highly committed volunteers, self-pursue and donate research-relevant datasets, and are actively engaged in conversations with both our staff and other Personal Genome Project participants. We have quantitatively assessed these communications and donations, and report our experiences with returning research-grade whole genome data to participants. We also observe some of the community growth and discussion that has occurred related to our project. Summary We find that public non-anonymous data is valuable and leads to a participatory research model, which we encourage others to consider. The implementation of this model is greatly facilitated by web-based tools and methods and participant education. Project results are long-term proactive participant involvement and the growth of a community that benefits both researchers and participants. PMID:24713084

  19. Harvard Personal Genome Project: lessons from participatory public research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ball, Madeleine P; Bobe, Jason R; Chou, Michael F; Clegg, Tom; Estep, Preston W; Lunshof, Jeantine E; Vandewege, Ward; Zaranek, Alexander; Church, George M

    2014-02-28

    Since its initiation in 2005, the Harvard Personal Genome Project has enrolled thousands of volunteers interested in publicly sharing their genome, health and trait data. Because these data are highly identifiable, we use an 'open consent' framework that purposefully excludes promises about privacy and requires participants to demonstrate comprehension prior to enrollment. Our model of non-anonymous, public genomes has led us to a highly participatory model of researcher-participant communication and interaction. The participants, who are highly committed volunteers, self-pursue and donate research-relevant datasets, and are actively engaged in conversations with both our staff and other Personal Genome Project participants. We have quantitatively assessed these communications and donations, and report our experiences with returning research-grade whole genome data to participants. We also observe some of the community growth and discussion that has occurred related to our project. We find that public non-anonymous data is valuable and leads to a participatory research model, which we encourage others to consider. The implementation of this model is greatly facilitated by web-based tools and methods and participant education. Project results are long-term proactive participant involvement and the growth of a community that benefits both researchers and participants.

  20. Consumer-directed health care and the courts: let the buyer (and seller) beware.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacobson, Peter D; Tunick, Michael R

    2007-01-01

    In consumer-directed health care, patients will be expected to exert greater control over their spending decisions than before. As consumer-directed care gains market acceptance, courts will inevitably be involved in resolving challenges to the new arrangements. We anticipate that courts will be generally favorable toward consumer-directed care, but the new legal doctrine will not uniformly favor medical professionals and insurers. The information demands inherent in consumer-directed care will present particular legal challenges to physicians and insurers. Even as courts provide flexibility to reflect the new market realities, they will closely monitor how consumer-directed care is implemented.

  1. The Influence of Sub cultural and Personality Factors on Consumer Acculturation

    OpenAIRE

    Leon G Schiffman; William R Dillon; Festus E Ngumah

    1981-01-01

    This paper explores the potential role of subculture (religious) and personality (Rockeach Dogmatism Scale) characteristics in explaining differences in the extent of consumer acculturation. The survey results suggest that for a complex and heterogeneous nation like Nigeria, there are significant within-nation differences that may influence consumer acculturation. Implications and suggestions for future cross-cultural consumer research taking an acculturation perspective are indicated.© 1981 ...

  2. Direct-to-consumer tobacco marketing and its association with tobacco use among adolescents and young adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soneji, Samir; Ambrose, Bridget K; Lee, Won; Sargent, James; Tanski, Susanne

    2014-08-01

    We assess exposure to direct-to-consumer tobacco marketing and its association with ever having tried smoking, smoking within past 30 days (current), and smoking ≥100 cigarettes in lifetime (established) among adolescents and young adults. We surveyed a U.S. telephone sample of 3,342 15- to 23-year-olds and 2,541 respondents subsequently completed a web-based survey. Among respondents completing both the telephone and web-based surveys (N = 2,541 [75%]), we assessed their exposure to direct-to-consumer tobacco marketing (receiving direct mail from tobacco companies and seeing tobacco company websites) and their associations with ever having tried smoking, current smoking, and established smoking. Overall, 12% of 15- to 17-year-olds and 26% of 18- to 23-year-olds were exposed to direct-to-consumer tobacco marketing. Racial/ethnic minority nonsmoking respondents were more likely to see tobacco websites than nonsmoking whites. Respondents exposed to either form of direct-to-consumer tobacco marketing were more likely to currently smoke (adjusted odds ratio 2.2, 95% confidence interval 1.3-3.8), while those exposed to both forms of marketing experienced even higher odds of currently smoking (adjusted odds ratio 2.7, 95% confidence interval 1.1-6.6). We observed similar relationships for ever having tried smoking and established smoking. Direct-to-consumer tobacco marketing reaches adolescent and young adult nonsmokers and is associated with smoking behavior. Copyright © 2014 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. All rights reserved.

  3. The Influence of Purchasing Context and Reversibility of Choice on Consumer Responses Toward Personalized Products and Standardized Products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Jieun; Lee, Doo-Hee; Taylor, Charles R

    2016-04-01

    Existing research on personalization has found that consumers generally prefer personalized products over standardized ones. This study argued that consumer preference for personalized products is dependent on purchasing context and reversibility of choice. Results of an experiment conducted in this study found that consumers preferred personalized products when purchasing an item for personal use but preferred standardized products when purchasing an item as a gift. However, the effects of purchasing context were negated when consumers were given the assurance that personalized products could be returned (reversibility of choice); when presented with reversibility of choice, consumers preferred personalized products over standardized products regardless of purchasing context. Theoretical and managerial implications of these results were discussed. © The Author(s) 2016.

  4. The impact of direct-to-consumer marketing of cancer genetic testing on women according to their genetic risk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lowery, Jan T; Byers, Tim; Axell, Lisen; Ku, Lisa; Jacobellis, Jillian

    2008-12-01

    To assess the impact of direct-to-consumer marketing for genetic testing among women of varying genetic risk for breast and ovarian cancer. Telephone surveys were conducted with 315 women in Denver, Colorado, one target audience for the Myriad BRACAnalysis ad campaign. Genetic risk was determined from personal and family history and grouped by probability of having a BRCA1/2 mutation (low or =10%). High-risk women were more knowledgeable about BRACAnalysis and more likely to recall the media ads than were low-risk women (60 vs. 39%, P audience. Concern about breast cancer was not appreciably increased. A large percentage of low-risk women (not candidates for testing) expressed interest in testing, suggesting the campaign was too broad. A campaign targeted at high-risk women, who may benefit from testing might be preferred.

  5. Direct-to-Consumer Tobacco Marketing and Its Association with Tobacco Use Among Adolescents and Young Adults

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soneji, Samir; Ambrose, Bridget K.; Lee, Won; Sargent, James; Tanski, Susanne

    2014-01-01

    Objective We assess exposure to direct-to-consumer tobacco marketing and its association with ever having tried smoking, smoking within past 30 days (‘current’), and smoking ≥100 cigarettes in lifetime (‘established’) among adolescents and young adults. Methods We surveyed a U.S. telephone sample of 3,342 15–23 year olds and 2,541 respondents subsequently completed a web-based survey. Among respondents completing both the telephone and web-based surveys (N=2,541 [75%]), we assessed their exposure to direct-to-consumer tobacco marketing (receiving direct mail from tobacco companies and seeing tobacco company websites) and their associations with ever having tried smoking, current smoking, and established smoking. Results Overall, 12% of 15–17 year olds and 26% of 18–23 year olds were exposed to direct-to-consumer tobacco marketing. Racial/ethnic minority non-smoking respondents were more likely to see tobacco websites than non-smoking Whites. Respondents exposed to either form of direct-to-consumer tobacco marketing were more likely to currently smoke (adjusted odds ratio[AOR]: 2.2; 95% CI 1.3–3.8), while those exposed to both forms of marketing experienced even higher odds of currently smoking (AOR: 2.7; 95% CI 1.1–6.6). We observed similar relationships for ever having tried smoking and established smoking. Conclusions Direct-to-consumer tobacco marketing reaches adolescent and young adult non-smokers and is associated with smoking behavior. PMID:24661738

  6. Direct to consumer genetic testing-law and policy concerns in Ireland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Paor, Aisling

    2017-11-25

    With rapid scientific and technological advances, the past few years has witnessed the emergence of a new genetic era and a growing understanding of the genetic make-up of human beings. These advances have propelled the introduction of companies offering direct to consumer (DTC) genetic testing, which facilitates the direct provision of such tests to consumers, (for example, via the internet). Although DTC genetic testing offers benefits by enhancing consumer accessibility to such technology, promoting proactive healthcare and increasing genetic awareness, it presents a myriad of challenges, from an ethical, legal and regulatory perspective. As DTC genetic testing usually eliminates the need for a medical professional in accessing genetic tests, this lack of professional guidance and counselling may result in misinterpretation and confusion regarding results. In addition, an evident concern relates to the scientific validity and quality of these tests. A further problem arising is the lack or inadequacy of regulation in this field. Despite the increasing accessibility of DTC genetic testing, this legislative vacuum is apparent in Ireland, where there is no concrete legislation. This article explores the main ethical, legal and regulatory issues arising with the advent of rapid advances in DTC genetic testing in Ireland. Further, with inevitable future advances in genetic science, as well as increasing internet accessibility, the challenges presented are likely to become more amplified. In consideration of the ethical and legal challenges, this paper highlights the regulation of DTC genetic testing as a growing concern in Ireland, recognising its importance to both the scientific community as well as in respect of enhancing consumer confidence in such technologies.

  7. Then and Now: Examining How Consumer Communication and Attitudes of Direct-to-Consumer Pharmaceutical Advertising Have Changed in the Last Decade.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wood, Kelly S; Cronley, Maria L

    2014-09-01

    This study examines changes over a 10-year period in consumer reports of communication with health care providers about direct-to-consumer advertised (DTCA) medications. Two rounds of survey data were collected in 2003 and 2012 using repeated cross-sectional procedures to examine consumer willingness to discuss DTCA medications, content and tone of those conversations, and attitudes about the advertisements. In total, 472 surveys were analyzed. Generally, we found physician-patient conversations, attitudes, and behaviors regarding DTCA have changed. Consumers in 2012 reported talking significantly less about the names of the advertised drug, comparing the advertised drug with their current medication, and sharing general information than consumers in 2003. Attitudes toward the advertisements were significantly more negative in 2012 compared to 2003. Of those who specifically asked for a prescription, the proportion of patients who received the prescription was significantly lower in 2012, despite research suggesting increased rates of prescriptions. These results are interpreted in light of previous research about the lack of research examining the actual communication between physicians and patients on this topic. Limitations of the study are provided along with directions for future research about DTCA and physician-patient communication.

  8. Using Personal Water Footprints to Identify Consumer Food Choices that Influence the Conservation of Local Water Resources

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marrin, D. L.

    2015-12-01

    As the global demand for water and food escalates, the emphasis is on supply side factors rather than demand side factors such as consumers, whose personal water footprints are dominated (>90%) by food. Personal footprints include the water embedded in foods that are produced locally as well as those imported, raising the question of whether local shifts in people's food choices and habits could assist in addressing local water shortages. The current situation in California is interesting in that drought has affected an agriculturally productive region where a substantial portion of its food products are consumed by the state's large population. Unlike most agricultural regions where green water is the primary source of water for crops, California's arid climate demands an enormous volume of blue water as irrigation from its dwindling surface and ground water resources. Although California exports many of its food products, enough is consumed in-state so that residents making relatively minor shifts their food choices could save as much local blue water as their implementing more drastic reductions in household water use (comprising food group on both a caloric and gravimetric basis. Another change is wasting less food, which is a shared responsibility among consumers, producers and retailers; however, consumers' actions and preferences ultimately drive much of the waste. Personal water footprints suggest a role for individuals in conserving local water resources that is neither readily obvious nor a major focus of most conservation programs.

  9. Visual elements in direct-to-consumer advertising: Messages communicated to patients with arthritis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Willis, Erin

    2017-01-01

    Direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising saturates popular health magazines, communicating persuasive messages to readers that may influence attitudes and behaviors. This research used a two-prong approach to investigate the visual elements used in DTC advertising and their influence on consumers' understanding of a disease and its treatment options. An analysis was conducted of DTC advertisements (N = 62) from a population sample of Arthritis Today magazine, 2000-2010. Three panels of people with arthritis were used to validate the findings and discuss implications for health literacy. Pharmaceutical companies have an opportunity to communicate tailored messages to readers of niche publications and improve disease management.

  10. Internet-Based Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing: A Systematic Review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rubinelli, Sara; Ceretti, Elisabetta; Gelatti, Umberto

    2015-01-01

    Background Direct-to-consumer genetic tests (DTC-GT) are easily purchased through the Internet, independent of a physician referral or approval for testing, allowing the retrieval of genetic information outside the clinical context. There is a broad debate about the testing validity, their impact on individuals, and what people know and perceive about them. Objective The aim of this review was to collect evidence on DTC-GT from a comprehensive perspective that unravels the complexity of the phenomenon. Methods A systematic search was carried out through PubMed, Web of Knowledge, and Embase, in addition to Google Scholar according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist with the key term “Direct-to-consumer genetic test.” Results In the final sample, 118 articles were identified. Articles were summarized in five categories according to their focus on (1) knowledge of, attitude toward use of, and perception of DTC-GT (n=37), (2) the impact of genetic risk information on users (n=37), (3) the opinion of health professionals (n=20), (4) the content of websites selling DTC-GT (n=16), and (5) the scientific evidence and clinical utility of the tests (n=14). Most of the articles analyzed the attitude, knowledge, and perception of DTC-GT, highlighting an interest in using DTC-GT, along with the need for a health care professional to help interpret the results. The articles investigating the content analysis of the websites selling these tests are in agreement that the information provided by the companies about genetic testing is not completely comprehensive for the consumer. Given that risk information can modify consumers’ health behavior, there are surprisingly few studies carried out on actual consumers and they do not confirm the overall concerns on the possible impact of DTC-GT. Data from studies that investigate the quality of the tests offered confirm that they are not informative, have little predictive

  11. On the nature and properties of appeals used in direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pinto, M B

    2000-04-01

    The past decade has seen a steady rise in expenditures for direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising. While total revenues across all media are approaching the $1 billion dollar mark, surprisingly little is known about the effectiveness of these types of advertisements, including the appropriateness of various forms of emotional and informational appeal. A content analysis of direct-to-consumer advertising in 24 popular magazines shows that these advertisements are found in every category of magazine, the advertisements employ a mix of informational and emotional appeals, all types of emotional appeals are used, and to date, the type of appeal (emotional and/or informational) tends not to be based on the type of drug advertised. Implications of this content analysis are considered and directions for research on appeals used in direct-to-consumer advertising are suggested.

  12. Direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) for prescription drugs: consumers' attitudes and preferences concerning its regulation in South Korea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suh, Hae Sun; Lee, Donghyun; Kim, Sang Yong; Chee, Dong Hyun; Kang, Hye-Young

    2011-08-01

    To examine consumers' attitudes toward direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) for prescription drugs in Korea. We conducted a survey of 350 patients visiting community pharmacies to fill their prescriptions. Consumers' attitudes toward DTCA were assessed in terms of whether they felt DTCA was necessary, their trust in the information provided by DTCA, and their intention to use the information provided by DTCA. We examined consumers' preferences regarding the regulation of DTCA and their expectations of the effects of DTCA. About 60% of the respondents responded that DTCA is necessary and that they intended to use the information from DTCA. Less than half of the respondents reported that they would trust DTCA information. About 70% of the participants expressed the need for prior vetting of the DTCA content. Respondents had the highest expectation on the effect of DTCA as an information source for patients. Positive consumer expectations regarding the effects of DTCA were significantly associated with positive consumer attitudes toward DTCA (odds ratio=4.70, 95% confidence interval: 2.25-9.82). This study provides evidence that consumers in South Korea generally have positive attitudes toward DTCA. However, most of the respondents wanted a prior examination system of DTCA content to ensure that the information conveyed to them via DTCA was trustworthy. Policy-makers should be cautious and well-prepared if they decide to introduce DTCA in Korea. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Implementation and utilization of genetic testing in personalized medicine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abul-Husn NS

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Noura S Abul-Husn,1,* Aniwaa Owusu Obeng,2,3,* Saskia C Sanderson,1 Omri Gottesman,2 Stuart A Scott11Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, 2The Charles Bronfman Institute for Personalized Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 3Department of Pharmacy, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, NY, USA*These authors contributed equally to this manuscriptAbstract: Clinical genetic testing began over 30 years ago with the availability of mutation detection for sickle cell disease diagnosis. Since then, the field has dramatically transformed to include gene sequencing, high-throughput targeted genotyping, prenatal mutation detection, preimplantation genetic diagnosis, population-based carrier screening, and now genome-wide analyses using microarrays and next-generation sequencing. Despite these significant advances in molecular technologies and testing capabilities, clinical genetics laboratories historically have been centered on mutation detection for Mendelian disorders. However, the ongoing identification of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA sequence variants associated with common diseases prompted the availability of testing for personal disease risk estimation, and created commercial opportunities for direct-to-consumer genetic testing companies that assay these variants. This germline genetic risk, in conjunction with other clinical, family, and demographic variables, are the key components of the personalized medicine paradigm, which aims to apply personal genomic and other relevant data into a patient's clinical assessment to more precisely guide medical management. However, genetic testing for disease risk estimation is an ongoing topic of debate, largely due to inconsistencies in the results, concerns over clinical validity and utility, and the variable mode of delivery when returning genetic results to patients in the absence of traditional counseling. A related class of genetic testing with analogous issues of clinical utility and

  14. Disease-specific direct-to-consumer advertising of pharmaceuticals: An examination of endorser type and gender effects on consumers' attitudes and behaviors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhutada, Nilesh S; Rollins, Brent L

    2015-01-01

    Direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising is still a controversial topic for pharmaceutical manufacturers' and researchers, and while numerous studies have examined the DTC phenomenon, little research has examined the effect of gender, particularly gender of the endorser and consumer. The objective of this research was to assess the impact of the endorser (celebrity vs. expert vs. non-celebrity) and gender - both gender of the endorser and gender of the consumer - on consumers' attitudes and behaviors in response to a print disease-specific direct-to-consumer advertisement. Using Qualtrics consumer panel, data were obtained for 514 US adults (age 18 years and above) who demonstrated at least minimal symptoms of depression and need for monitoring based on the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) score. Data were analyzed using a 3 (Endorser Type: Celebrity/Expert/Non-Celebrity) × 2 (Endorser Gender: Male/Female) × 2 (Consumer Gender: Male/Female) full factorial between subjects multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and necessary univariate analysis. Only the type of the endorser (celebrity vs. expert vs. non-celebrity) used in the ad had a significant main effect on the dependent variables. Further univariate analyses revealed that, of the several dependent variables, endorser type had a significant influence only on attitude towards the ad, attention paid to the ad, and endorser credibility, with gender being non-significant in all cases. Expert endorser generated significantly more favorable levels of attitude towards the ad, and endorser credibility compared to the non-celebrity endorser. Celebrity endorser attracted more consumer attention towards the ad and generated favorable endorser credibility perceptions compared to the non-celebrity endorser. However, celebrity and expert endorsers did not significantly differ from each other on the abovementioned ad effectiveness variables. Lastly, endorser gender and consumer gender did not have a significant influence

  15. What do we know about direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Calfee, John E

    2003-01-01

    Two papers, by Joel Weissman and colleagues and by Robert Dubois, add to our limited knowledge of the effects of direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising of prescription drugs. Their results reinforce the largely positive findings from consumer surveys, while adding valuable new data and insights. These suggest that DTC ads probably improve patients' health outcomes and do not tend to lead to inappropriate prescribing. DTC advertising is emerging as a positive force in health care markets, consistent with what is known about the effects of advertising in many other markets.

  16. Stem cell clinics online: the direct-to-consumer portrayal of stem cell medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lau, Darren; Ogbogu, Ubaka; Taylor, Benjamin; Stafinski, Tania; Menon, Devidas; Caulfield, Timothy

    2008-12-04

    Despite the immature state of stem cell medicine, patients are seeking and accessing putative stem cell therapies in an "early market" in which direct-to-consumer advertising via the internet likely plays an important role. We analyzed stem cell clinic websites and appraised the relevant published clinical evidence of stem cell therapies to address three questions about the direct-to-consumer portrayal of stem cell medicine in this early market: What sorts of therapies are being offered? How are they portrayed? Is there clinical evidence to support the use of these therapies? We found that the portrayal of stem cell medicine on provider websites is optimistic and unsubstantiated by peer-reviewed literature.

  17. A Taxonomy of Consumer Motives through Preferred Brand Personality : Empirical Findings for 11 Countries

    OpenAIRE

    N. GEEROMS; I. VERMEIR; P. VAN KENHOVE; H. HENDRICKX

    2005-01-01

    This paper presents a circumplex taxonomy of related consumer motives based on valence ratings of 34 preferred brand personality traits. Results of INDSCAL analysis reveal a consistent, replicable preferred brand personality structure across 11 different countries and four different product categories. As preferred brand personality dimensions are considered as behavioral expressions of underlying motives, the found structure was reformulated in terms of a taxonomy of eight fundamental consum...

  18. An exploration of values among consumers seeking treatment for borderline personality disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohi, Simone R; Deane, Frank P; Bailey, Anne; Mooney-Reh, Dianne; Ciaglia, Danielle

    2018-01-01

    Consumer feedback identifies a new challenge in the treatment of borderline personality disorder (BPD) is to address the discrepancy between clinical treatment targets and the more personally meaningful goals people are seeking in treatment. This highlights the need to increase clarification of people's values and link these to therapy goals. The current study explores ways in which individuals with BPD identify with values across key life domains. At initial assessment 106 consumer participants attending an outpatient clinic for the treatment of BPD completed the Personal Values Questionnaire by Blackledge and colleagues. This 90-item measure asks participants to respond to different value appraisals such as importance, commitment, desire to improve, success and, motivation across nine life domains. These included: relationships, health & wellbeing, education & personal development, work & career, spirituality, recreation & leisure, and community involvement. A consistent pattern of value appraisals was found across all life domains. Specifically, life domains were endorsed as highly important but participants reported significantly lower levels of value commitment, desire to improve and success. Successful value pursuit also related differentially to value motivations (internal vs. external) depending on the particular life domain. Relationships with family, friends and romantic partners, as well as health & wellbeing were most important compared to other life domains. The findings suggest that people with BPD identify with values and prioritise different life domains in terms of importance. Our results show discrepancies between higher importance and lower commitment, desire to improve and success at living in line with what is valued. Identification of such discrepancies provides opportunities to more effectively support consumers with BPD to prioritise goals that are consistent with valued domains. These findings offer new insights for cultivating the

  19. Direct-to-consumer antidepressant advertising and consumers' optimistic bias about the future risk of depression: the moderating role of advertising skepticism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Jin Seong; Ju, Ilwoo; Kim, Kenneth Eunhan

    2014-01-01

    Although exposure to direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising (DTCA) is reported to influence the public's beliefs about diseases, no research has investigated how DTCA may affect the extent of consumers' optimistic bias about the future risk of diseases. Based on a survey with members of an online consumer panel (n = 699), the current study revealed that: (a) Consumers exhibited a tendency to believe they were at less risk of developing clinical depression in the future than their peers, demonstrating an optimistic bias. (b) Exposure to antidepressant DTCA acted to reduce the extent of such bias, especially when consumers were less skeptical of prescription drug advertising. When consumers were highly skeptical, DTCA exposure did not significantly relate to the extent of optimistic bias. (c) Once formed, the extent of optimistic bias negatively related to consumers' intention to seek information about depression. Implications of the research for the theory and practice of DTCA were discussed.

  20. Approximation of reliability of direct genomic breeding values

    Science.gov (United States)

    Two methods to efficiently approximate theoretical genomic reliabilities are presented. The first method is based on the direct inverse of the left hand side (LHS) of mixed model equations. It uses the genomic relationship matrix for a small subset of individuals with the highest genomic relationshi...

  1. The whole genome sequences and experimentally phased haplotypes of over 100 personal genomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mao, Qing; Ciotlos, Serban; Zhang, Rebecca Yu; Ball, Madeleine P; Chin, Robert; Carnevali, Paolo; Barua, Nina; Nguyen, Staci; Agarwal, Misha R; Clegg, Tom; Connelly, Abram; Vandewege, Ward; Zaranek, Alexander Wait; Estep, Preston W; Church, George M; Drmanac, Radoje; Peters, Brock A

    2016-10-11

    Since the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003, it is estimated that more than 200,000 individual whole human genomes have been sequenced. A stunning accomplishment in such a short period of time. However, most of these were sequenced without experimental haplotype data and are therefore missing an important aspect of genome biology. In addition, much of the genomic data is not available to the public and lacks phenotypic information. As part of the Personal Genome Project, blood samples from 184 participants were collected and processed using Complete Genomics' Long Fragment Read technology. Here, we present the experimental whole genome haplotyping and sequencing of these samples to an average read coverage depth of 100X. This is approximately three-fold higher than the read coverage applied to most whole human genome assemblies and ensures the highest quality results. Currently, 114 genomes from this dataset are freely available in the GigaDB repository and are associated with rich phenotypic data; the remaining 70 should be added in the near future as they are approved through the PGP data release process. For reproducibility analyses, 20 genomes were sequenced at least twice using independent LFR barcoded libraries. Seven genomes were also sequenced using Complete Genomics' standard non-barcoded library process. In addition, we report 2.6 million high-quality, rare variants not previously identified in the Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms database or the 1000 Genomes Project Phase 3 data. These genomes represent a unique source of haplotype and phenotype data for the scientific community and should help to expand our understanding of human genome evolution and function.

  2. Protein annotation in the era of personal genomics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Holberg Blicher, Thomas; Gupta, Ramneek; Wesolowska, Agata

    2010-01-01

    the differences between many individuals of the same species-humans in particular-the focus needs be on the functional impact of individual residue variation. To fulfil the promises of personal genomics, we need to start asking not only what is in a genome but also how millions of small differences between......Protein annotation provides a condensed and systematic view on the function of individual proteins. It has traditionally dealt with sorting proteins into functional categories, which for example has proven to be successful for the comparison of different species. However, if we are to understand...... individual genomes affect protein function and in turn human health. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved....

  3. Educational content and health literacy issues in direct-to-consumer advertising of pharmaceuticals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mackert, Michael; Love, Brad

    2011-01-01

    Direct-to-consumer (DTC) pharmaceutical advertisements have been analyzed in many ways, but richer conceptualizations of health literacy have been largely absent from this research. With approximately half of U.S. adults struggling to understand health information, it is important to consider consumers' health literacy when analyzing DTC advertisements. This project, framed by the health belief model, analyzed 82 advertisements. Advertisements provided some kinds of educational content (e.g., drugs' medical benefits) but typically failed to offer other useful information (e.g., other strategies for dealing with conditions). Issues likely to be barriers to low health literate consumers, such as nonstandard text formatting, are common.

  4. Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies for personality

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    M.H.M. de Moor; P.T. Costa Jr; A. Terracciano; R.F. Krueger; E.J.C. de Geus (Eco); T. Toshiko; B.W.J.H. Penninx (Brenda); T. Esko; P.A.F. Madden (Pamela); J. Derringer; N. Amin (Najaf); G.A.H.M. Willemsen (Gonneke); J.J. Hottenga (Jouke Jan); M.A. Distel (Marijn); M. Uda (Manuela); S. Sanna (Serena); P. Spinhoven; C.A. Hartman; P.F. Sullivan (Patrick); A. Realo; J. Allik; A.C. Heath; M.L. Pergadia; P. Lin; R. Grucza; T. Nutile; M. Ciullo; D. Rujescu (Dan); I. Giegling (Ina); B. Konte; E. Widen (Elisabeth); D.L. Cousminer (Diana); J.G. Eriksson; A. Palotie; L. Peltonen; M. Luciano (Michelle); A. Tenesa (Albert); G. Davies; L.M. Lopez; N.K. Hansell (Narelle); S.E. Medland (Sarah Elizabeth); L. Ferrucci; D. Schlessinger; G.W. Montgomery; M.J. Wright (Margaret); Y.S. Aulchenko (Yurii); A.C.J.W. Janssens (Cécile); B.A. Oostra (Ben); A. Metspalu (Andres); I.J. Deary; K. Räikkönen (Katri); L.J. Bierut (Laura); N.G. Martin; C.M. van Duijn (Cornelia); D.I. Boomsma (Dorret); G.R. Abecasis (Gonçalo); A. Agrawal (Arpana)

    2012-01-01

    textabstractPersonality can be thought of as a set of characteristics that influence people's thoughts, feelings and behavior across a variety of settings. Variation in personality is predictive of many outcomes in life, including mental health. Here we report on a meta-analysis of genome-wide

  5. Legislation on direct-to-consumer genetic testing in seven European countries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borry, Pascal; van Hellemondt, Rachel E; Sprumont, Dominique; Jales, Camilla Fittipaldi Duarte; Rial-Sebbag, Emmanuelle; Spranger, Tade Matthias; Curren, Liam; Kaye, Jane; Nys, Herman; Howard, Heidi

    2012-07-01

    An increasing number of private companies are now offering direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing services. Although a lot of attention has been devoted to the regulatory framework of DTC genetic testing services in the USA, only limited information about the regulatory framework in Europe is available. We will report on the situation with regard to the national legislation on DTC genetic testing in seven European countries (Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Portugal, France, Germany, the United Kingdom). The paper will address whether these countries have legislation that specifically address the issue of DTC genetic testing or have relevant laws that is pertinent to the regulatory control of these services in their countries. The findings show that France, Germany, Portugal and Switzerland have specific legislation that defines that genetic tests can only be carried out by a medical doctor after the provision of sufficient information concerning the nature, meaning and consequences of the genetic test and after the consent of the person concerned. In the Netherlands, some DTC genetic tests could fall under legislation that provides the Minister the right to refuse to provide a license to operate if a test is scientifically unsound, not in accordance with the professional medical practice standards or if the expected benefit is not in balance with the (potential) health risks. Belgium and the United Kingdom allow the provision of DTC genetic tests.

  6. Personal Privacy in an Information Society: What are the Trade-Offs? Insights into Consumer Issues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    J.C. Penney Co., Inc., New York, NY.

    Insights into Consumer Issues is one of a group of educational publications and teaching units that J.C. Penney provides for consumer educators as a public service. This folder illustrates that although computerized processing of personal information has brought considerable convenience, the potential risk to personal privacy is of increasing…

  7. Direct-to-Consumer Drug Advertisements Can Paradoxically Increase Intentions to Adopt Lifestyle Changes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mathur, Maya B; Gould, Michael; Khazeni, Nayer

    2016-01-01

    Background: Direct-to-consumer (DTC) prescription drug advertisements are thought to induce "boomerang effects," meaning they reduce the perceived effectiveness of a potential alternative option: non-pharmaceutical treatment via lifestyle change. Past research has observed such effects using artificially created, text-only advertisements that may not adequate capture the complex, conflicting portrayal of lifestyle change in real television advertisements. In other risk domains, individual "problem status" often moderates boomerang effects, such that subjects who currently engage in the risky behavior exhibit the strongest boomerang effects. Objectives: We aimed to assess whether priming with real DTC television advertisements elicited boomerang effects on perceptions of lifestyle change and whether these effects, if present, were moderated by individual problem status. Methods: We assembled a sample of real, previously aired DTC television advertisements in order to naturalistically capture the portrayal of lifestyle change in real advertisements. We randomized 819 adults in the United States recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk to view or not view an advertisement for a prescription drug. We further randomized subjects to judge either lifestyle change or drugs on three measures: general effectiveness, disease severity for a hypothetical patient, and personal intention to use the intervention if diagnosed with the target health condition. Results: Advertisement exposure induced a statistically significant, but weak, boomerang effect on general effectiveness ( p = 0.01, partial R 2 = 0.007) and did not affect disease severity score ( p = 0.32, partial R 2 = 0.0009). Advertisement exposure elicited a reverse boomerang effect of similar effect size on personal intentions, such that advertisement-exposed subjects reported comparatively higher intentions to use lifestyle change relative to drugs ( p = 0.006, partial R 2 = 0.008). Individual problem status did not

  8. The influence of product- and person-related factors on consumer hedonic responses to soy products

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fenko, Anna; Backhaus, Birte W.; van Hoof, Joris Jasper

    2015-01-01

    Consumers in Western countries increasingly appreciate health benefits of soy products. However, several barriers prevent full acceptance of these products. This study investigates the effects of product-related factors (perceived familiarity and expected healthiness) and person-related factors

  9. Manufacturer Responsiveness to Consumer Correspondence: An Empirical Investigation of Consumer Perceptions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smart, Denise T.; Martin, Charles L.

    1992-01-01

    Evaluation of manufacturers' responses to 300 consumer letters of praise or complaint as well as consumer's reactions to responses concluded that (1) businesses should tell consumers their input is appreciated; (2) sincere, personal responses are preferred; and (3) coupons, refunds, or similar gifts should be sent with letters. (SK)

  10. Effect of illicit direct to consumer advertising on use of etanercept, mometasone, and tegaserod in Canada: controlled longitudinal study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Law, Michael R; Majumdar, Sumit R; Soumerai, Stephen B

    2008-09-02

    To assess the impact of direct to consumer advertising of prescription drugs in the United States on Canadian prescribing rates for three heavily marketed drugs-etanercept, mometasone, and tegaserod. Controlled quasi-experimental study using interrupted time series analysis. Representative sample of 2700 Canadian pharmacies and prescription data from 50 US Medicaid programmes. Differences in number of filled prescriptions per 10,000 population per month between English speaking and French speaking (control) Canadian provinces before and after the start of direct to consumer advertising in the United States. Spending on direct to consumer advertising for study drugs ranged from $194m to $314m ( pound104m- pound169m; euro131m-euro212m) over the study period. Prescription rates for etanercept and mometasone did not increase in English speaking provinces relative to French speaking controls after the start of direct to consumer advertising. In contrast, tegaserod prescriptions increased 42% (0.56 prescriptions/10,000 residents, 95% confidence interval 0.37 to 0.76) in English speaking provinces immediately after the start of US direct to consumer advertising. Uncontrolled analysis of US Medicaid data showed a larger 56% increase in tegaserod prescriptions. However, this increase did not persist over time in either country, despite continued advertising. Exposure to US direct to consumer advertising transiently influenced both Canadian and US prescribing rates for tegaserod, a drug later withdrawn owing to safety concerns. The impact of direct to consumer advertising on drug use seems to be highly variable and probably depends on the characteristics of the advertised drug, the level of exposure to direct to consumer advertising, and the cultural context.

  11. Dynamics of a minimal consumer network with bi-directional influence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ekaterinchuk, Ekaterina; Jungeilges, Jochen; Ryazanova, Tatyana; Sushko, Iryna

    2018-05-01

    We study the dynamics of a model of interdependent consumer behavior defined by a family of two-dimensional noninvertible maps. This family belongs to a class of coupled logistic maps with different nonlinearity parameters and coupling terms that depend on one variable only. In our companion paper we considered the case of independent consumers as well as the case of uni-directionally connected consumers. The present paper aims at describing the dynamics in the case of a bi-directional connection. In particular, we investigate the bifurcation structure of the parameter plane associated with the strength of coupling between the consumers, focusing on the mechanisms of qualitative transformations of coexisting attractors and their basins of attraction.

  12. Consumer-oriented innovation in the food and personal care products sectors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Grunert, K.G.; Jensen, B.B.; Sonne, A. M.

    2010-01-01

    In this chapter, we clarify the concept of consumer-oriented innovation in the food and personal products sectors and define it as a process towards the development of a new product or service in which an integrated analysis and understanding of consumers wants, needs and preference formation play...... a key role. We then outline relevant streams of research that may promote the implementation of consumer-oriented innovation in these sectors. We first review research on understanding consumers, notably on the quality perception, associated methods, and their application in innovation processes. We...... then review research on innovation management, emphasizing the use of consumer insight information in innovation processes. We conclude that a better integration of consumer research and research on innovation management would benefit the innovation process....

  13. Direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription medication in New Zealand.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Every-Palmer, Susanna; Duggal, Rishi; Menkes, David B

    2014-08-29

    The last decade has seen increasing measures aimed at regulating the influence of 'Big Pharma' following a number of scandals relating to unethical marketing. Despite these international trends, New Zealand continues to tolerate direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription medication, a controversial pharmaceutical marketing strategy that has been prohibited in all but two countries in the industrialised world. While the pharmaceutical industry asserts that DTCA is informational and empowers consumers, in this viewpoint article we argue that DTCA is a heavily biased source of health information that favours representation of benefits over harms, and is associated with unnecessary prescribing, iatrogenic harm and increased costs to the taxpayer. In this paper, we show that DTCA provides unbalanced information to consumers who may misconstrue DTCA as public health messages, and fail to recognise inherent commercial bias. We describe how DTCA has been linked with inappropriate prescribing and overtreatment, with evidence indicating that patients request and receive specific medications in response to DTCA, even when treatment is not clinically indicated. This exposes patients to unnecessary adverse effects and iatrogenic harm, and increases costs for the health-care sector through the prescription of expensive branded medication. We use local examples to illustrate these points. New Zealand remains an outlier in allowing DTCA to continue which, in our view, is a controversial and harmful practice. The available evidence suggests that consumers and health care professionals are generally opposed to DTCA. Therefore, we believe that the New Zealand government should review its stance on DTCA.

  14. Living in the "land of no"? Consumer perceptions of healthy lifestyle portrayals in direct-to-consumer advertisements of prescription drugs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frosch, Dominick L; May, Suepattra G; Tietbohl, Caroline; Pagán, José A

    2011-10-01

    Direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription drugs is the most common form of health communication Americans are exposed to. The effects of DTCA on prescription requests and utilization are well established, but little is known about the effects of advertisements on health behaviors. Many advertisements, especially those promoting drugs to prevent or treat cardiovascular disease, refer to lifestyle change as a way to improve health. However, no studies have examined how consumers interpret these frequently ambiguous messages. We used in-depth interviews with 45 participants, recruited in Los Angeles, USA between April 2007 and July 2008, to explore perceptions of 5 advertisements for drugs that prevent or treat cardiovascular disease (Lipitor(®), Vytorin(®), Zetia(®), Caduet(®), Plavix(®)). We found that participants interpreted advertising messages within their own life context and identified four trajectories for enacting behavior change versus taking prescription drugs: Negotiators, Avoiders, Embracers and Jumpstarters. Underlying these four typologies were beliefs about whether lifestyle change was something an individual could do or was willing to do. Our results also show how an advertisement narrative could potentially shift perceptions of causality by suggesting that high cholesterol is primarily hereditary, thereby obviating the need for lifestyle change. Some participants stated that they would prefer lifestyle change to a particular prescription drug, but felt that others would be more likely to embrace taking a prescription drug. This "Third Person Effect" may be masking participants' intentions by identifying a more socially desirable route to therapeutic change. These findings raise questions about how the typologies are distributed in the population and how advertising may shift consumers' beliefs over time, thereby contributing to new forms of medicalization. Effective regulation of DTCA may require expanding scrutiny beyond the

  15. PERSON-Personalized Expert Recommendation System for Optimized Nutrition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Chih-Han; Karvela, Maria; Sohbati, Mohammadreza; Shinawatra, Thaksin; Toumazou, Christofer

    2018-02-01

    The rise of personalized diets is due to the emergence of nutrigenetics and genetic tests services. However, the recommendation system is far from mature to provide personalized food suggestion to consumers for daily usage. The main barrier of connecting genetic information to personalized diets is the complexity of data and the scalability of the applied systems. Aiming to cross such barriers and provide direct applications, a personalized expert recommendation system for optimized nutrition is introduced in this paper, which performs direct to consumer personalized grocery product filtering and recommendation. Deep learning neural network model is applied to achieve automatic product categorization. The ability of scaling with unknown new data is achieved through the generalized representation of word embedding. Furthermore, the categorized products are filtered with a model based on individual genetic data with associated phenotypic information and a case study with databases from three different sources is carried out to confirm the system.

  16. Variables associated with seeking information from doctors and the internet after exposure to direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription medications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fogel, Joshua; Teichman, Chaim

    2014-01-01

    This study examines variables associated with seeking information from doctors, the Internet, and a combination of both doctors and Internet after exposure to direct-to-consumer advertisements. Data were analyzed from 462 college students. Younger age, women, and health insurance were associated with greater odds for doctor; women, subjective norms, intentions, and greater time since seen doctor were associated with greater odds for Internet; and African American, Hispanic, subjective norms, intentions, and health insurance were associated with greater odds for both doctor and Internet. Marketers of direct-to-consumer advertisements can use these findings for tailoring and targeting direct-to-consumer advertisements.

  17. The role of direct-to-consumer advertising in shaping public opinion surrounding prescription drug use to treat depression or anxiety in youth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martinez, Lourdes S; Lewis, Nehama

    2009-01-01

    This study investigated the impact of exposure to prescription drug advertisements for antidepressants and antianxiety medications on public opinion regarding preferred treatment options for youth suffering from depression or anxiety. The study randomly recruited a nationally representative adult sample (N = 402) through the 2007 Annenberg National Health Communication Survey. The study examined the distribution of public support for the use of antidepressant drugs to treat depression and anxiety disorders in youth. The analysis adjusted for the effects of demographic characteristics, prior knowledge about prescription drugs, and personal and familial drug history. Attitude toward direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA, for all products) moderated the effect of exposure to ads for these drug treatments on support for their use among youth as a preferred treatment. Among respondents with negative attitude toward direct-to-consumer advertising (for all products), with increased exposure to ads for antidepressants and antianxiety medications, support for the use of these drugs to treat youth decreased. Among this group, with high levels of exposure to advertisements, the predicted probability of support decreased from 0.68 (95% CI: 0.61 to 0.76) to 0.46 (95% CI: 0.38 to 0.56). No effect was found among respondents with positive attitudes toward DTCA (for all products). The implications of the findings are discussed.

  18. Uni-directional consumer-resource theory characterizing transitions of interaction outcomes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Y.; DeAngelis, D.L.; Holland, J.N.

    2011-01-01

    A resource is considered here to be a biotic population that helps to maintain the population growth of its consumers, whereas a consumer utilizes a resource and in turn decreases its growth rate. Bi-directional consumer-resource (C-R) interactions have been the object of recent theory. In these interactions, each species acts, in some respects, as both a consumer and a resource of the other, which is the basis of many mutualisms. In uni-directional C-R interactions between two species, one acts as a consumer and the other as a material and/or energy resource, while neither acts as both. The relationship between insect pollinator/seed parasites and the host plant is an example of the latter interaction type of C-R, as the insect provides no material resource to the plant (though it provides a pollination service). In this paper we consider a different variation of the uni-directional C-R interaction, in which the resource species has both positive and negative effects on the consumer species, while the consumer has only a negative effect on the resource. A predator-prey system in which the prey is able to kill or consume predator eggs or larvae is an example. Our aim is to demonstrate mechanisms by which interaction outcomes of this system vary with different conditions, and thus to extend the uni-directional C-R theory established by Holland and DeAngelis (2009). By the analysis of a specific two-species system, it is shown that there is no periodic solution of the system, and the parameter (factor) space can be divided into six regions, which correspond to predation/parasitism, amensalism, and competition. The interaction outcomes of the system transition smoothly when the parameters are changed continuously in the six regions and/or initial densities of the species vary in a smooth fashion. Varying a pair of parameters can also result in the transitions. The analysis leads to both conditions under which the species approach their maximal densities, and

  19. Effect of illicit direct to consumer advertising on use of etanercept, mometasone, and tegaserod in Canada: controlled longitudinal study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Majumdar, Sumit R; Soumerai, Stephen B

    2008-01-01

    Objective To assess the impact of direct to consumer advertising of prescription drugs in the United States on Canadian prescribing rates for three heavily marketed drugs—etanercept, mometasone, and tegaserod. Design Controlled quasi-experimental study using interrupted time series analysis. Population Representative sample of 2700 Canadian pharmacies and prescription data from 50 US Medicaid programmes. Main outcome measures Differences in number of filled prescriptions per 10 000 population per month between English speaking and French speaking (control) Canadian provinces before and after the start of direct to consumer advertising in the United States. Results Spending on direct to consumer advertising for study drugs ranged from $194m to $314m (£104m-£169m; €131m-€212m) over the study period. Prescription rates for etanercept and mometasone did not increase in English speaking provinces relative to French speaking controls after the start of direct to consumer advertising. In contrast, tegaserod prescriptions increased 42% (0.56 prescriptions/10 000 residents, 95% confidence interval 0.37 to 0.76) in English speaking provinces immediately after the start of US direct to consumer advertising. Uncontrolled analysis of US Medicaid data showed a larger 56% increase in tegaserod prescriptions. However, this increase did not persist over time in either country, despite continued advertising. Conclusions Exposure to US direct to consumer advertising transiently influenced both Canadian and US prescribing rates for tegaserod, a drug later withdrawn owing to safety concerns. The impact of direct to consumer advertising on drug use seems to be highly variable and probably depends on the characteristics of the advertised drug, the level of exposure to direct to consumer advertising, and the cultural context. PMID:18765444

  20. From field to plate: Farmer-to-consumer direct marketing for organic and regional products

    OpenAIRE

    Mellin, Matthias; Spiller, Achim; Zühlsdorf, Anke

    2007-01-01

    The importance of direct marketing for high quality farm products has increased in the last few years. This paper analyses the impact of customer satisfaction and its driving forces for farmer-to-consumer direct marketing and is based on a customer survey in 30 organic and conventional on-farm stores in Germany. The results emphasize the role of the store atmosphere and customer service as the main influencing factors on customer satisfaction.

  1. The rise of digital direct-to-consumer advertising?: Comparison of direct-to-consumer advertising expenditure trends from publicly available data sources and global policy implications

    OpenAIRE

    Mackey, Tim K.; Cuomo, Raphael E.; Liang, Bryan A.

    2015-01-01

    Background Pharmaceutical marketing is undergoing a major shift in the United States, in part due to new transparency regulations under the healthcare reform act. Changes in pharmaceutical marketing practices include a possible shift from more traditional forms of direct-to-consumer advertising towards emerging use of Internet-based DTCA (?eDTCA?) given the growing importance of digital health or ?eHealth.? Though legally allowed only in the U.S. and New Zealand, eDTCA poses novel regulatory ...

  2. The Impact of Channel Context and Task on Consumers' Evaluations of Personalized Health Recommendation Systems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wendel, S.; Ronteltap, A.; Dellaert, B.G.C.; Trijp, van J.C.M.

    2008-01-01

    We investigate consumer perspectives on complex, multistage systems designed to provide personalized health recommendations. We conceptualize the underlying benefit trade-offs that consumers make in evaluating such systems as the manifestation of a psychological contract in which consumers

  3. The Draft Directive on Consumer Rights: Choices Made and Arguments Used

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Willem H. van Boom

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available The 2008 proposal for a Directive on Consumer Rights (hereinafter: the Draft aims at reorganizing the acquis of four specific European directives on consumer protection into a more coherent codification of consumer rights. Specifically, it contains rules on precontractual information duties, on withdrawal rights for distance and off-premises contracts, on consumer sales and on general contract terms in consumer contracts. In replacing the four directives with a minimum harmonization character, the Draft marks a further step towards full harmonization of consumer contract law in Europe. This is an unsettling step because the level of protection offered to consumers in the Draft hardly exceeds the level of protection offered by the four directives mentioned earlier. Instead, it diminishes this protection in some regards. In light of all this, the question arises whether the policy choices underlying the Draft are, in fact, convincingly underpinned by solid argumentation. This article addresses this issue by first analyzing the Draft's use of the generic concept of “contracts between consumers and traders”. It is argued that full harmonization of a badly delineated territory is ill-advised. Subsequently, the argumentative power of the policy considerations forwarded by the European Commission in its Regulatory Assessment Study is tested. The article concludes that the Commission’s assessment of expected costs and benefits of the Draft is waver-thin and geared towards persuading the reader of the aptness of choices already made. In some respects, the evidence presented by the Commission is outright unconvincing. At certain points, the Draft even fuels the reader’s suspicion of foregone conclusions. Overall, the need for reduction of the level of protection offered by the current minimum harmonization directives is poorly argued by the Commission and appears, in a number of important ways, not to reflect the socio-economic relationships that

  4. Changing effects of direct-to-consumer broadcast drug advertising information sources on prescription drug requests.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Annisa Lai

    2009-06-01

    This study tracks the changes of the effects of 4 information sources for direct-to-consumer drug advertising on patients' requests for prescription drugs from physicians since the inception of the "Guidance for Industry about Consumer-directed Broadcast Advertisements." The Guidance advises pharmaceuticals to use four information sources for consumers to seek further information to supplement broadcast drug advertisements: small-print information, the Internet, a toll-free number, and health-care providers (nurses, doctors, and pharmacists). Logistic models were created by using survey data collected by the Food and Drug Administration in 1999 and 2002. Results show that throughout the years, health-care providers remain the most used and strongest means associated with patients' direct requests for nonspecific and specific prescription drugs from doctors. The small-print information source gains power and changes from an indirect means associated with patients' discussing drugs with health-care providers to a direct means associated with patients' asking about nonspecific and specific drugs from their doctors. The Internet is not directly related to drug requests, but the effect of its association with patients seeking information from health-care providers grew 11-fold over the course of the study. The toll-free number lost its power altogether for both direct request for a prescription drug and further discussion with health-care providers. Patient demographics will be considered for specific policy implications.

  5. Ethical considerations of research policy for personal genome analysis: the approach of the Genome Science Project in Japan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Minari, Jusaku; Shirai, Tetsuya; Kato, Kazuto

    2014-12-01

    As evidenced by high-throughput sequencers, genomic technologies have recently undergone radical advances. These technologies enable comprehensive sequencing of personal genomes considerably more efficiently and less expensively than heretofore. These developments present a challenge to the conventional framework of biomedical ethics; under these changing circumstances, each research project has to develop a pragmatic research policy. Based on the experience with a new large-scale project-the Genome Science Project-this article presents a novel approach to conducting a specific policy for personal genome research in the Japanese context. In creating an original informed-consent form template for the project, we present a two-tiered process: making the draft of the template following an analysis of national and international policies; refining the draft template in conjunction with genome project researchers for practical application. Through practical use of the template, we have gained valuable experience in addressing challenges in the ethical review process, such as the importance of sharing details of the latest developments in genomics with members of research ethics committees. We discuss certain limitations of the conventional concept of informed consent and its governance system and suggest the potential of an alternative process using information technology.

  6. Genome-wide identification of direct HBx genomic targets

    KAUST Repository

    Guerrieri, Francesca

    2017-02-17

    Background The Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) HBx regulatory protein is required for HBV replication and involved in HBV-related carcinogenesis. HBx interacts with chromatin modifying enzymes and transcription factors to modulate histone post-translational modifications and to regulate viral cccDNA transcription and cellular gene expression. Aiming to identify genes and non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) directly targeted by HBx, we performed a chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-Seq) to analyse HBV recruitment on host cell chromatin in cells replicating HBV. Results ChIP-Seq high throughput sequencing of HBx-bound fragments was used to obtain a high-resolution, unbiased, mapping of HBx binding sites across the genome in HBV replicating cells. Protein-coding genes and ncRNAs involved in cell metabolism, chromatin dynamics and cancer were enriched among HBx targets together with genes/ncRNAs known to modulate HBV replication. The direct transcriptional activation of genes/miRNAs that potentiate endocytosis (Ras-related in brain (RAB) GTPase family) and autophagy (autophagy related (ATG) genes, beclin-1, miR-33a) and the transcriptional repression of microRNAs (miR-138, miR-224, miR-576, miR-596) that directly target the HBV pgRNA and would inhibit HBV replication, contribute to HBx-mediated increase of HBV replication. Conclusions Our ChIP-Seq analysis of HBx genome wide chromatin recruitment defined the repertoire of genes and ncRNAs directly targeted by HBx and led to the identification of new mechanisms by which HBx positively regulates cccDNA transcription and HBV replication.

  7. Personal and social benefits:consumer beliefs towards product review blogs

    OpenAIRE

    Ghazisaeedi, Mehdi

    2012-01-01

    Online blogs that offer reviews of products, services and technologies increasingly attract interest among public relations practitioners, as well as academic scholars. This paper reports on blog readers’ perceptions of the personal and social benefits offered by these specialized blogs as a new communication medium. The study surveyed 169 Australian online consumers. A personal and social benefits (PSB) multi-item scale, traditionally employed in an advertising research context, is adapted a...

  8. Prescription drug coupons: evolution and need for regulation in direct-to-consumer advertising.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mackey, Tim K; Yagi, Nozomi; Liang, Bryan A

    2014-01-01

    Pharmaceutical marketing in the United States had undergone a shift from largely exclusively targeting physicians to considerable efforts in targeting patients through various forms of direct-to-consumer advertising ("DTCA"). This includes the use of DTCA in prescription drug coupons ("PDCs"), a new form of DTCA that offers discounts and rebates directly to consumers to lower costs of drug purchasing. Our examination of PDCs reveals that the use and types of PDC programs is expanding and includes promotion of the vast majority of top grossing pharmaceuticals. However, controversy regarding this emerging form of DTCA has given rise to health policy concerns about their overall impact on prescription drug expenditures for consumers, payers, and the health care system, and whether they lead to optimal long-term utilization of pharmaceuticals. In response to these concerns and the growing popularity of PDCs, what we propose here are clearer regulation and regulatory guidance for PDC DTCA use. This would include review for appropriate disclosure of marketing claims, increased transparency in PDC use for pharmaceutical pricing, and leveraging potential positive benefits of PDC use for vulnerable or underserved patient populations. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Making Personalized Health Care Even More Personalized: Insights From Activities of the IOM Genomics Roundtable.

    Science.gov (United States)

    David, Sean P; Johnson, Samuel G; Berger, Adam C; Feero, W Gregory; Terry, Sharon F; Green, Larry A; Phillips, Robert L; Ginsburg, Geoffrey S

    2015-01-01

    Genomic research has generated much new knowledge into mechanisms of human disease, with the potential to catalyze novel drug discovery and development, prenatal and neonatal screening, clinical pharmacogenomics, more sensitive risk prediction, and enhanced diagnostics. Genomic medicine, however, has been limited by critical evidence gaps, especially those related to clinical utility and applicability to diverse populations. Genomic medicine may have the greatest impact on health care if it is integrated into primary care, where most health care is received and where evidence supports the value of personalized medicine grounded in continuous healing relationships. Redesigned primary care is the most relevant setting for clinically useful genomic medicine research. Taking insights gained from the activities of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Roundtable on Translating Genomic-Based Research for Health, we apply lessons learned from the patient-centered medical home national experience to implement genomic medicine in a patient-centered, learning health care system. © 2015 Annals of Family Medicine, Inc.

  10. Revisiting Respect for Persons in Genomic Research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Debra J. H. Mathews

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The risks and benefits of research using large databases of personal information are evolving in an era of ubiquitous, internet-based data exchange. In addition, information technology has facilitated a shift in the relationship between individuals and their personal data, enabling increased individual control over how (and how much personal data are used in research, and by whom. This shift in control has created new opportunities to engage members of the public as partners in the research enterprise on more equal and transparent terms. Here, we consider how some of the technological advances driving and paralleling developments in genomics can also be used to supplement the practice of informed consent with other strategies to ensure that the research process as a whole honors the notion of respect for persons upon which human research subjects protections are premised. Further, we suggest that technological advances can help the research enterprise achieve a more thoroughgoing respect for persons than was possible when current policies governing human subject research were developed. Questions remain about the best way to revise policy to accommodate these changes.

  11. Awareness of and attitudes toward direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising among young adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alperstein, Neil M

    2014-01-01

    This study examines awareness and knowledge of and attitudes toward direct-to-consumer (DTC) prescription drug advertising among young adults between 18 and 24 years of age. The study finds that young adults are not as aware of prescription drug advertising as older consumers, however, they are aware of specific heavily advertised drugs, especially those for allergy medications, birth control, and sleep aids. Young adults hold mixed to negative views about advertising in general, and they do not view DTC prescription drug advertising as a beneficial source of information, nor do they believe such advertising serves to educate consumers.

  12. Industry Responsibilities in Tackling Direct-to-Consumer Marketing of Unproven Stem Cell Treatments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Master, Z; Fu, W; Paciulli, D; Sipp, D

    2017-08-01

    The direct-to-consumer marketing of unproven stem cell interventions (SCIs) is a serious public health concern. Regulations and education have had modest impact, indicating that different actors must play a role to stop this unfettered market. We consider the role of the biotech industry in tackling unproven SCIs. Grounded in the concept of corporate social responsibility, we argue that biotech companies should screen consumers to ensure that products and services are being used appropriately and educate employees about unproven SCIs. © 2017 ASCPT.

  13. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 409: Direct-to-consumer marketing of genetic testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2008-06-01

    Marketing of genetic testing, although similar to direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs, raises additional concerns and considerations. These include issues of limited knowledge among patients and health care providers of available genetic tests, difficulty in interpretation of genetic testing results, lack of federal oversight of companies offering genetic testing, and issues of privacy and confidentiality. Until all of these considerations are addressed, direct or home genetic testing should be discouraged because of the potential harm of a misinterpreted or inaccurate result.

  14. Valley of the unicorns: consumer genomics, venture capital and digital disruption

    OpenAIRE

    Hogarth, Stuart James

    2017-01-01

    Drawing on the sociology of expectations and sociology of conventions, this paper explores issues of worth and value in the bioeconomy, and the promissory character of contemporary capitalism. Arguing that the literature on biocapital has paid insufficient attention to geographical differentiation in capital accumulation strategies, this paper situates the consumer genomics firm 23andme in the entrepreneurial culture of Silicon Valley. The paper suggests that in Silicon Valley the relationshi...

  15. Consumer Behavior in Shopping Streets: The Importance of the Salesperson's Professional Personal Attention

    Science.gov (United States)

    Medrano, Natalia; Olarte-Pascual, Cristina; Pelegrín-Borondo, Jorge; Sierra-Murillo, Yolanda

    2016-01-01

    Since the early 2010s, the emergence of a new consumer has begun. In this context, consumer behavior represents one of the greatest interests of marketing scholars and business managers due to their need to adapt their companies' strategies to the new frontier. In order to advance understanding of this new consumer, this article focuses on analyzing consumer behavior in shopping streets. Thus, the aim of this research is to know what customers value in terms of salesperson–customer interaction quality nowadays. To achieve this, the authors conducted two studies. The results of the first study show that customers cite personal attention as the primary factor motivating their preference for small retailers in shopping streets. However, this motivation is not as relevant one for those who prefer malls. This result provides a point on which to research service quality incorporating personal attention in a second study. Using the SERVQUAL-P scale, the authors elaborate three lenses through which the quality of service from the customer's point of view can be analyzed: normative expectations, predictive expectations, and the importance of each attribute. The most striking result is that the dimensions of expectations (normative and predictive) are the same; these results demonstrate that customers are coherent in making assessments of their expectations, evaluating service quality and satisfaction with similar criteria. However, these dimensions are different from the dimensions of importance. Our main contribution lies in the finding that personal attention, when assessed using the scale of attribute importance, is split into two dimensions: (1) courteous attention and (2) personal relationship. Courteous attention is always welcome, but personal relationships are less valued and are often even rejected. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of these findings for marketing practices and research. PMID:26903927

  16. Consumer Behavior in Shopping Streets: The Importance of the Salesperson's Professional Personal Attention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Medrano, Natalia; Olarte-Pascual, Cristina; Pelegrín-Borondo, Jorge; Sierra-Murillo, Yolanda

    2016-01-01

    Since the early 2010s, the emergence of a new consumer has begun. In this context, consumer behavior represents one of the greatest interests of marketing scholars and business managers due to their need to adapt their companies' strategies to the new frontier. In order to advance understanding of this new consumer, this article focuses on analyzing consumer behavior in shopping streets. Thus, the aim of this research is to know what customers value in terms of salesperson-customer interaction quality nowadays. To achieve this, the authors conducted two studies. The results of the first study show that customers cite personal attention as the primary factor motivating their preference for small retailers in shopping streets. However, this motivation is not as relevant one for those who prefer malls. This result provides a point on which to research service quality incorporating personal attention in a second study. Using the SERVQUAL-P scale, the authors elaborate three lenses through which the quality of service from the customer's point of view can be analyzed: normative expectations, predictive expectations, and the importance of each attribute. The most striking result is that the dimensions of expectations (normative and predictive) are the same; these results demonstrate that customers are coherent in making assessments of their expectations, evaluating service quality and satisfaction with similar criteria. However, these dimensions are different from the dimensions of importance. Our main contribution lies in the finding that personal attention, when assessed using the scale of attribute importance, is split into two dimensions: (1) courteous attention and (2) personal relationship. Courteous attention is always welcome, but personal relationships are less valued and are often even rejected. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of these findings for marketing practices and research.

  17. 77 FR 4273 - Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Advertisements; Presentation of the Major Statement in...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-27

    ...The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is reopening the comment period on specific data related to a proposed rule published in the Federal Register of March 29, 2010 (75 FR 15376), to establish standards that would be considered in determining whether the major statement in direct-to-consumer (DTC) television and radio advertisements relating to the side effects and contraindications of an advertised prescription drug intended for use by humans is presented in a clear, conspicuous, and neutral manner. FDA is announcing that it has added a document to the docket for the proposed rulemaking concerning a study entitled: ``Experimental Evaluation of the Impact of Distraction on Consumer Understanding of Risk and Benefit Information in Direct-to- Consumer Prescription Drug Television Advertisements'' (Distraction Study). This study was designed to investigate some advertising factors that could influence consumers' understanding of a drug's risks. This document reopens the comment period for the rulemaking proceeding to allow an opportunity for comment on the study as it relates to the proposed standards.

  18. Persuasive Advertising : Consumers' views of and responses to the advertising of health-related products

    OpenAIRE

    Edin, Malin

    2012-01-01

    The problem that this thesis deals with is that the intense competition and increasing consumer power in the health industry calls for the operating companies to take consumers’ considerations into account when advertising their products. It is further suggested that consumers will be extra careful before buying health-related products due to their direct effect on their personal health. Thus, companies selling health-related products must gain an understanding of how consumers form their jud...

  19. The Role of Consumer-Controlled Personal Health Management Systems in the Evolution of Employer-Based Health Care Benefits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Spencer S; Caloyeras, John; Mattke, Soeren

    2011-01-01

    The passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has piqued employers' interest in new benefit designs because it includes numerous provisions that favor cost-reducing strategies, such as workplace wellness programs, value-based insurance design (VBID), and consumer-directed health plans (CDHPs). Consumer-controlled personal health management systems (HMSs) are a class of tools that provide encouragement, data, and decision support to individuals. Their functionalities fall into the following three categories: health information management, promotion of wellness and healthy lifestyles, and decision support. In this study, we review the evidence for many of the possible components of an HMS, including personal health records, web-based health risk assessments, integrated remote monitoring data, personalized health education and messaging, nutrition solutions and physical activity monitoring, diabetes-management solutions, medication reminders, vaccination and preventive-care applications, integrated incentive programs, social-networking tools, comparative data on price and value of providers, telehealth consultations, virtual coaching, and an integrated nurse hotline. The value of the HMS will be borne out as employers begin to adopt and implement these emerging technologies, enabling further assessment as their benefits and costs become better understood.

  20. Direct-to-consumer advertising skepticism and the use and perceived usefulness of prescription drug information sources.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeLorme, Denise E; Huh, Jisu; Reid, Leonard N

    2009-01-01

    This study investigates advertising skepticism in the context of consumers' prescription drug information seeking behavior. Results of a telephone survey found that: (a) the overall level of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) skepticism among consumers was neutral; (b) DTCA skepticism was unrelated to age, positively related to education and income, and varied by race; (c) however, when all the antecedent variables were considered concurrently, only education emerged as a significant predictor (consumers with higher education were more skeptical of DTCA); (d) DTCA skepticism was not significantly related to perceived importance of prescription drug information; (e) DTCA skepticism was not associated with use of advertising and interpersonal sources of prescription drug information; and (f) DTCA skepticism was negatively related to perceived usefulness of advertising sources but unrelated to perceived usefulness of professional interpersonal sources (i.e., physicians and pharmacists). The article concludes with a discussion of findings and directions for future research.

  1. wANNOVAR: annotating genetic variants for personal genomes via the web.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Xiao; Wang, Kai

    2012-07-01

    High-throughput DNA sequencing platforms have become widely available. As a result, personal genomes are increasingly being sequenced in research and clinical settings. However, the resulting massive amounts of variants data pose significant challenges to the average biologists and clinicians without bioinformatics skills. We developed a web server called wANNOVAR to address the critical needs for functional annotation of genetic variants from personal genomes. The server provides simple and intuitive interface to help users determine the functional significance of variants. These include annotating single nucleotide variants and insertions/deletions for their effects on genes, reporting their conservation levels (such as PhyloP and GERP++ scores), calculating their predicted functional importance scores (such as SIFT and PolyPhen scores), retrieving allele frequencies in public databases (such as the 1000 Genomes Project and NHLBI-ESP 5400 exomes), and implementing a 'variants reduction' protocol to identify a subset of potentially deleterious variants/genes. We illustrated how wANNOVAR can help draw biological insights from sequencing data, by analysing genetic variants generated on two Mendelian diseases. We conclude that wANNOVAR will help biologists and clinicians take advantage of the personal genome information to expedite scientific discoveries. The wANNOVAR server is available at http://wannovar.usc.edu, and will be continuously updated to reflect the latest annotation information.

  2. It's time to shine the light on direct-to-consumer advertising.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mackey, Tim K; Liang, Bryan A

    2015-01-01

    Pharmaceutical marketing is undergoing a transition as the business, delivery, and consumption of health care have increasingly become part of a growing digital landscape. Changes in pharmaceutical promotion also coincide with federal "sunshine" regulations newly implemented under the Affordable Care Act that require disclosure of certain marketing and industry payments to physicians. Collectively, these trends could lead to fundamental shifts in physician-directed and direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) that have yet to be adequately identified or explored. In response, we advocate for greater DTCA transparency, especially in the emerging digital forms of DTCA, to complement forthcoming sunshine transparency data. This will allow more robust study and understanding of changes in overall pharmaceutical marketing trends and their impact on health care consumption and behavior. This can also lead to more targeted state and federal policy interventions leveraging existing federal transparency regulations to ensure appropriate marketing, sales, and consumption of pharmaceutical products. © 2015 Annals of Family Medicine, Inc.

  3. Consumers young and old: segmenting the target markets for direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ball, Jennifer Gerard; Manika, Danae; Stout, Patricia

    2011-10-01

    Direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising (DTCA) studies have typically focused on older adults or a general population of adults. However, college students are viable targets for DTCA and are receiving more research attention in this area. In this article, we compare college students with two adult age segments. Our findings indicate all age groups had relatively high awareness of DTCA and similar attitudes and behavioral responses to the ads. However, there were significant differences in media use and health characteristics as well as the factors predicting DTCA ad trust, attitudes, and behavioral intentions. Implications and future research suggestions are discussed.

  4. Influence on consumer behavior: the impact of direct-to-consumer advertising on medication requests for gastroesophageal reflux disease and social anxiety disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khanfar, Nile M; Polen, Hyla H; Clauson, Kevin A

    2009-01-01

    A 68-question Internet survey was used to determine the impact of televised direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) on consumer-initiated medication changes for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and social anxiety disorder (SAD). Of the 427 respondents, 10% that viewed DTCA for GERD and 6% that viewed DTCA for SAD reported that they subsequently initiated a conversation with their physician. Nearly half of respondents, 47.4% for GERD and 40% for SAD, reported that a change in therapy occurred as a direct result of these discussions. Televised DTCA for these two drug classes can have a significant impact on patient-initiated prescription requests.

  5. Consumer Directed Health Care

    OpenAIRE

    John Goodman

    2006-01-01

    Consumer driven health care (CDHC) is a potential solution to two perplexing problems: (1) How to choose between health care and other uses of money, and (2) how to allocate resources in an industry where normal market forces have been systemically suppressed. In the consumer-driven model, consumers occupy the primary decision-making role regarding the health care that they receive. From an employee benefits perspective, consumer driven health care in the broadest sense may refer to limited e...

  6. STORMSeq: An Open-Source, User-Friendly Pipeline for Processing Personal Genomics Data in the Cloud

    OpenAIRE

    Karczewski, Konrad J.; Fernald, Guy Haskin; Martin, Alicia R.; Snyder, Michael; Tatonetti, Nicholas P.; Dudley, Joel T.

    2014-01-01

    The increasing public availability of personal complete genome sequencing data has ushered in an era of democratized genomics. However, read mapping and variant calling software is constantly improving and individuals with personal genomic data may prefer to customize and update their variant calls. Here, we describe STORMSeq (Scalable Tools for Open-Source Read Mapping), a graphical interface cloud computing solution that does not require a parallel computing environment or extensive technic...

  7. Organizational culture, climate and person-environment fit: Relationships with employment outcomes for mental health consumers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirsh, Bonnie

    2000-01-01

    Although the effects of organizational culture, climate and person-environment fit have been widely studied in the general population, little research exists in this area regarding consumers of mental health services. This research focuses on organizational culture, climate and person-environment fit and their relationship to employment outcomes for mental health consumers. It also examines specific components of organizational culture which are both desired and perceived by mental health consumers. Thirty-six (N=36) consumers were recruited into one of two groups: individuals who were employed at the time of the study and those who had recently left their jobs. Instruments used were the Workplace Climate Questionnaire (WCQ) and the Organizational Culture Profile (OCP). Significant differences were found between groups along the dimensions of organizational culture/climate and person-environment fit. Although few differences were found between groups with regards to desired workplace characteristics, many differences in perceived characteristics were found. The findings point to the importance of assessing the organizational culture/climate and its congruence with individuals' value systems as part of the work integration process.

  8. Relationship Between Brand Experience, Brand Personality, Consumer Satisfaction, and Consumer Loyalty of DSSMF Brand

    OpenAIRE

    Kwong, Margie Zerlina; Candinegara, Ivan

    2014-01-01

    PT XYZ is one of the market leaders of Indonesia's tobacco market with domination in almost all segments of cigarette. However, PT XYZ is still considered unsuccessful in capturing the market of Full Flavor Machine Made Cigarette (known as SKM FF). This is proven by insignificant performance of DSSMF as PT XYZ's product under SKM FF segment, especially in Javanese market. This research is aimed to analyze the relationship of brand experience, brand personality, consumer satisfaction, and con...

  9. Setting a personal career direction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCurdy, Fredrick A; Marcdante, Karen

    2003-01-01

    In summary, we believe that both you and your organization should have a set of core values, a well-defined mission (core purpose), and a vision of the future. Ideally, your projects and activities should be congruent with your mission and values, you should be pursuing your vision, and all of this should be congruent with the organization mission and values. Practically speaking, most individuals we have worked with over the years find themselves in two different groups at this point in the exercise. The minority find that their personal mission is not at all similar to the mission of their current organization and they find it necessary to seriously reevaluate their personal career direction. Sometimes, this results in them finding some other place to work. On the other hand, the majority discover their personal mission is in reasonable agreement with that of their organization. For both, this exercise has helped them clarify and better manage their personal career direction.

  10. What nurse practitioners should know about direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription medications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Viale, Pamela Hallquist

    2003-07-01

    To describe the marketing strategies of direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising and the risks, benefits, and potential influence on the prescribing practices of nurse practitioners (NPs). Journal articles, media sources, and clinical experience. The effect of DTC advertising of prescription medications on NPs has not been well studied. Although there are studies that examine the effects of DTC advertising on physician prescribing as well as the effects of this practice on the consumer, opinions on the benefits of DTC advertising are varied. NPs need to recognize the potential influence of DTC advertising and to be prepared to guide patients toward appropriate medication choices by participating in a partnership with patients. Health care providers, including NPs, need to work with the pharmaceutical industry to encourage accountability of DTC advertising, thus improving dissemination of correct information and promoting positive outcomes for health consumers and patients.

  11. The Effects of Consumer Knowledge and Values on Attitudes and Purchase Intentions : A Quantitative Study of Organic Personal Care Products Among German Female Consumers

    OpenAIRE

    Saleem, Bilal; Recker, Alena

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of different types of consumer knowledge and values on their attitude towards buying organic personal care products and their purchase intentions of organic personal care products. The aim was to make a theoretical contribution to the research area of consumer behaviour in the context of organic products. As no research had been conducted on how different types of consumers’ knowledge affect their attitudes towards buying organic products an...

  12. Reconciling Utility with Privacy in Genomics

    OpenAIRE

    Humbert, Mathias; Ayday, Erman; Hubaux, Jean-Pierre; Telenti, Amalio

    2014-01-01

    Direct-to-consumer genetic testing makes it possible for everyone to learn their genome sequences. In order to contribute to medical research, a growing number of people publish their genomic data on the Web, sometimes under their real identities. However, this is at odds not only with their own privacy but also with the privacy of their relatives. The genomes of relatives being highly correlated, some family members might be opposed to revealing any of the family's genomic data. In this pape...

  13. Contradicciones en la reacción del consumidor ante el polígrafo y perfil de personalidad = Contradictions in consumer reaction to the polygraph and personality profile

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    María Orquídea Escobar Torres

    2015-11-01

    Abstract In marketing, the information based on verbal reports consumer may have low reliability due to different unconscious motives of the people who lead them to react contradictory to the views they express. These reactions often cannot be observed directly. The research in question, sought to know the psychophysiological responses to a TV commercial, measured by the polygraph. Involved 20 people, men and women professionals and university students, aged between 18 and 48 years in Bogotá. The results showed a contradiction between verbal report on the impact of commercial TV and reactions to the polygraph, also found the personality profile of those who had contradiction.   Key words: polygraph, personality profile, marketing, consumer behavior, neuromarketing. [1] Colombiana. Psicóloga PUJ, Magister en Dirección de Marketing Universidad Viña del Mar, Chile. Especialista en Gerencia de Marketing, UNILATINA. Estudios de Doctorado UNED-Madrid. Docente Investigadora Corporación Universitaria UNITEC, Bogotá, Colombia. orquideaescobar@gmail.com.  Tel.(57-1 7434343 / 3007820935.

  14. Are satisfaction with and self-management of personal assistance services associated with the life satisfaction of persons with physical disabilities?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fleming-Castaldy, Rita P

    2011-01-01

    To examine the relationships between satisfaction with and self-management of personal assistance services (PAS) and the quality of life (QoL) of persons with disabilities. To test the postulate that consumer-directed PAS can fulfil the human need for control and contribute to a satisfactory life. A survey compared the perspectives of persons using consumer-directed PAS versus those using agency-directed. A Personal Data Form obtained demographics and PAS characteristics. The Quality of Life Inventory measured life satisfaction. A PAS questionnaire measured perceptions about the management of, desire for control of, and satisfaction with PAS. Data were analysed using SPSS®- 14. Significant relationships were found between QoL and satisfaction with PAS (p perceived control of PAS and satisfaction with PAS (p satisfaction with their PAS (p satisfaction, and QoL support the value of consumer-directed programmes. Rehabilitation professionals can use this knowledge to develop, implement and research practises that enable self-management.

  15. Physicians report on patient encounters involving direct-to-consumer advertising.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weissman, Joel S; Blumenthal, David; Silk, Alvin J; Newman, Michael; Zapert, Kinga; Leitman, Robert; Feibelmann, Sandra

    2004-01-01

    We surveyed a national sample of 643 physicians on events associated with visits during which patients discussed an advertised drug. Physicians perceived improved communication and education but also thought that direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) led patients to seek unnecessary treatments. Physicians prescribed the advertised drug in 39 percent of DTCA visits but also recommended lifestyle changes and suggested other treatments. Referring to visits when the DTCA drug was prescribed, 46 percent said that it was the most effective drug, and 48 percent said that others were equally effective. Prescribing DTCA drugs when other effective drugs are available warrants further study.

  16. Overcoming information asymmetry in consumer-directed health plans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Retchin, Sheldon M

    2007-04-01

    Consumer-centric healthcare has been extolled as the centerpiece of a new model for managing both quality and price. However, information asymmetry in consumer-directed health plans (CDHPs) is a challenge that must be addressed. For CDHPs to work as intended and to gain acceptance, consumers need information regarding the quality and price of healthcare purchases. The federal government, particularly the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, could function as an official resource for information on performance and comparisons among facilities and providers. Because of workforce constraints among primary care physicians, a new group of healthcare professionals called "medical decision advisors" could be trained. Academic health centers would have to play a critical role in devising an appropriate curriculum, as well as designing a certification and credentialing process. However, with appropriate curricula and training, medical decision advisors could furnish information for consumers and aid in the complicated decisions they will face under CDHPs.

  17. Advance directives and personal identity: what is the problem?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Furberg, Elisabeth

    2012-02-01

    The personal identity problem expresses the worry that due to disrupted psychological continuity, one person's advance directive could be used to determine the care of a different person. Even ethicists, who strongly question the possibility of the scenario depicted by the proponents of the personal identity problem, often consider it to be a very potent objection to the use of advance directives. Aiming to question this assumption, I, in this paper, discuss the personal identity problem's relevance to the moral force of advance directives. By putting the personal identity argument in relation to two different normative frameworks, I aim to show that whether or not the personal identity problem is relevant to the moral force of advance directives, and further, in what way it is relevant, depends entirely on what normative reasons we have for respecting advance directives in the first place.

  18. Selling Health to the Distracted: Consumer Responses to Source Credibility and Ad Appeal Type in a Direct-to-Consumer Advertisement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lemanski, Jennifer L; Villegas, Jorge

    2015-01-01

    Since 1997, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration first allowed prescription drug companies to release ads directly targeting the public, direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising has become an integral part of the pharmaceutical industry marketing toolkit, reaching over $4 billion in 2005. In an experiment where cognitive load, a task that requires the investment of a subject's memory in an unrelated task; source credibility; and advertising appeal type (affective or cognitive) were manipulated, attitude toward the ad was measured for a print DTC meningitis vaccine ad. Main effect results for source credibility and advertising appeal type on attitude toward the ad were found, and interactions between manipulated variables were apparent when the individual difference variables related to a specific illness (vaccination history, living in a dorm, family members or friends who had suffered the illness) were taken into account.

  19. The effects of involvement and ad type on attitudes toward direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Limbu, Yam; Torres, Ivonne M

    2009-01-01

    This article examines consumers' attitudes toward Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) advertising of prescription drugs that are influenced by the use different types of DTC ads and product involvement. Our findings suggest that product involvement and the type of DTC ad are significant predictors of consumers' attitudinal responses toward DTC advertising. High involvement consumers have more favorable attitudes toward the drug's price, DTC ad and brand name, and a higher intention to ask a doctor about the advertised drug than low involvement consumers. In contrast to Informational and Reminder DTC ads, Persuasive ads have more favorable effects on consumers' reactions to DTC prescription drug advertising.

  20. Enhancing the educational value of direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hwang, Monica J; Young, Henry N

    The educational value of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription drugs hinges on its ability to convey important benefit and risk information to consumers. However, the literacy level required to understand some of the information presented in print advertisements may hinder DTCA's ability to educate consumers. The objective of this study was to compare the comprehension and retention of benefit and risk information between consumers who viewed an original print DTCA and those who viewed an advertisement modified according to health literacy principles. An experimental design was used to conduct the study. Participants were randomly assigned to view a modified print advertisement (experimental group) or the original print advertisement (control group) for an antidepressant medication. Study participants were recruited from the University of Wisconsin Kidney Clinic. Ten true-false and 10 multiple-choice questions were developed to assess participants' comprehension and retention of benefit and risk information. A total of 120 participants were randomized to view either the original or the modified version of the advertisement. Regarding the comprehension and retention of only the benefit information, no significant differences were observed between the 2 groups. Significant differences were observed for comprehension and retention of only the risk information. The experimental group had significantly higher scores in comprehension (U = 1224; P advertisement were successful in enhancing both consumers' comprehension and their retention of information presented in a print DTCA. This was especially apparent for the risk information. Copyright © 2017 American Pharmacists Association®. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Need for Uniqueness Determines Reactions to Web-Based Personalized Advertising.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stiglbauer, Barbara; Kovacs, Carrie

    2018-01-01

    The presented empirical study among a sample of n = 256 participants addressed the relationship between consumers' need for uniqueness and their reactions to web-based personalized advertising. Drawing on regulatory focus theory, we argue that the consumers' need for uniqueness dimensions creative choice and similarity avoidance may relate to promotion and prevention regulatory orientations, respectively. Accordingly, we hypothesized that creative choice and similarity avoidance would differentially predict self-reported approach and avoidance behavior toward personalized advertising. These direct relationships were further expected to be mediated by subjective evaluations of personalized advertising (i.e., perceived value and irritation). In line with these hypotheses, we found that creative choice predicted approach behavior through increased web-based personalized advertising value, whereas similarity avoidance predicted avoidance behavior through increased irritation. Creative choice also predicted decreased irritation, which in turn was related to decreased approach behavior. In sum, the results suggest that the consumers' need for uniqueness dimensions should not be investigated as a composite, as they seem to reflect different regulatory orientations and are therefore likely to evoke different affective, cognitive, and behavioral responses.

  2. DNA Compass: a secure, client-side site for navigating personal genetic information.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Curnin, Charles; Gordon, Assaf; Erlich, Yaniv

    2017-07-15

    Millions of individuals have access to raw genomic data using direct-to-consumer companies. The advent of large-scale sequencing projects, such as the Precision Medicine Initiative, will further increase the number of individuals with access to their own genomic information. However, querying genomic data requires a computer terminal and computational skill to analyze the data-an impediment for the general public. DNA Compass is a website designed to empower the public by enabling simple navigation of personal genomic data. Users can query the status of their genomic variants for over 1658 markers or tens of millions of documented single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). DNA Compass presents the relevant genotypes of the user side-by-side with explanatory scientific resources. The genotype data never leaves the user's computer, a feature that provides improved security and performance. More than 12 000 unique users, mainly from the general genetic genealogy community, have already used DNA Compass, demonstrating its utility. DNA Compass is freely available on https://compass.dna.land . yaniv@cs.columbia.edu. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

  3. Consumer behavior in shopping streets: The importance of the salesperson’s professional personal attention

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Natalia eMedrano Sáez

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Since the early 2010s, the emergence of a new consumer has begun. In this context, consumer behavior represents one of the greatest interests of marketing scholars and business managers due to their need to adapt their companies’ strategies to the new frontier. In order to advance understanding of this new consumer, this article focuses on analyzing consumer behavior in shopping streets. Thus, the aim of this research is to know what customers value in terms of salesperson–customer interaction quality nowadays. To achieve this, the authors conducted two studies. The results of the first study show that customers cite personal attention as the primary factor motivating their preference for small retailers in shopping streets. However, this motivation is not as relevant one for those who prefer malls. This result provides a point on which to research service quality incorporating personal attention in a second study. Using the SERVQUAL-P scale, the authors elaborate three lenses through which the quality of service from the customer’s point of view can be analyzed: normative expectations, predictive expectations, and the importance of each attribute. The most striking result is that the dimensions of expectations (normative and predictive are the same; these results demonstrate that customers are coherent in making assessments of their expectations, evaluating service quality and satisfaction with similar criteria. However, these dimensions are different from the dimensions of importance. Our main contribution lies in the finding that personal attention, when assessed using the scale of attribute importance, is split into two dimensions: (1 courteous attention and (2 personal relationship. Courteous attention is always welcome, but personal relationships are less valued and are often even rejected. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of these findings for marketing practices and research.

  4. The Impact of Direct-to-Consumer Advertising on Health Insurance Markets

    OpenAIRE

    William Encinosa; Chad Meyerhoefer; Samuel Zuvekas; Dongyi Du

    2014-01-01

    Direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) for drugs has increased from US$200 million in 1997 to US$4 billion in 2011. While studies show that DTCA impacts the patient-physician relationship, little is known of the effect of DTCA on health insurance markets. We test whether DTCA raises the costs in these markets or makes the markets more efficient in drug pricing. Across 212 markets, we examine the impact of DTCA on insurers’ negotiated prices for 166 drugs. Controlling for unobserv...

  5. Direct-to-consumer advertising: Australian pharmacists' experiences with non-prescription medicines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaar, Betty; Kwong, Kenelm

    2010-02-01

    Direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of over-the-counter or prescribed medicines is a highly controversial issue relating to public health care. Advocates highlight the advantages of DTCA in terms of patient awareness and autonomy. Opponents voice concerns about safety and patients' best interests. The views of physicians and consumers about DTCA have been widely investigated. There has been little research, however, in relation to pharmacists' experiences with DTCA and the impact of DTCA on pharmacy practice. The aim of this study was therefore to explore pharmacists' perceptions of DTCA in Australia and its impact on pharmacy practice. A semi-structured in-depth interview was conducted with a purposive convenience sample of retail pharmacists in Sydney, Australia. Interviews were recorded, transcribed ad verbatim and continued until data saturation. Emerging themes were extracted and analysed according to the grounded theory approach. Pharmacists participating in this study reported concern about potential harm to patient health and well-being as a result of the influence of DTCA. DTCA was seen to impede pharmacists in the discharge of their fundamental ethical responsibilities, leading to a strong sense of disempowerment. Pharmacists' gate-keeping role was challenged by DTCA encouraging consumers to self-medicate and inducing a range of drug-seeking behaviours. Although pharmacists acknowledged that DTCA may have a role in promoting patient autonomy, in practice DTCA compromised their role in safeguarding consumers from inappropriate use of medicines. This study highlighted that the impact of DTCA is not restricted to prescription medicines, but extended also to over-the-counter, pharmacist-only and other pharmacy-related products. Pharmacists perceived that DTCA disempowered them, compromising their role in safeguarding the community from inappropriate medicine use.

  6. Agent-Based Modeling of Consumer Decision making Process Based on Power Distance and Personality

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Roozmand, O.; Ghasem-Aghaee, N.; Hofstede, G.J.; Nematbakhsh, M.A.; Baraani, A.; Verwaart, T.

    2011-01-01

    Simulating consumer decision making processes involves different disciplines such as: sociology, social psychology, marketing, and computer science. In this paper, we propose an agent-based conceptual and computational model of consumer decision-making based on culture, personality and human needs.

  7. Atlas2 Cloud: a framework for personal genome analysis in the cloud.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Evani, Uday S; Challis, Danny; Yu, Jin; Jackson, Andrew R; Paithankar, Sameer; Bainbridge, Matthew N; Jakkamsetti, Adinarayana; Pham, Peter; Coarfa, Cristian; Milosavljevic, Aleksandar; Yu, Fuli

    2012-01-01

    Until recently, sequencing has primarily been carried out in large genome centers which have invested heavily in developing the computational infrastructure that enables genomic sequence analysis. The recent advancements in next generation sequencing (NGS) have led to a wide dissemination of sequencing technologies and data, to highly diverse research groups. It is expected that clinical sequencing will become part of diagnostic routines shortly. However, limited accessibility to computational infrastructure and high quality bioinformatic tools, and the demand for personnel skilled in data analysis and interpretation remains a serious bottleneck. To this end, the cloud computing and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) technologies can help address these issues. We successfully enabled the Atlas2 Cloud pipeline for personal genome analysis on two different cloud service platforms: a community cloud via the Genboree Workbench, and a commercial cloud via the Amazon Web Services using Software-as-a-Service model. We report a case study of personal genome analysis using our Atlas2 Genboree pipeline. We also outline a detailed cost structure for running Atlas2 Amazon on whole exome capture data, providing cost projections in terms of storage, compute and I/O when running Atlas2 Amazon on a large data set. We find that providing a web interface and an optimized pipeline clearly facilitates usage of cloud computing for personal genome analysis, but for it to be routinely used for large scale projects there needs to be a paradigm shift in the way we develop tools, in standard operating procedures, and in funding mechanisms.

  8. Directional genomic hybridization for chromosomal inversion discovery and detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ray, F Andrew; Zimmerman, Erin; Robinson, Bruce; Cornforth, Michael N; Bedford, Joel S; Goodwin, Edwin H; Bailey, Susan M

    2013-04-01

    Chromosomal rearrangements are a source of structural variation within the genome that figure prominently in human disease, where the importance of translocations and deletions is well recognized. In principle, inversions-reversals in the orientation of DNA sequences within a chromosome-should have similar detrimental potential. However, the study of inversions has been hampered by traditional approaches used for their detection, which are not particularly robust. Even with significant advances in whole genome approaches, changes in the absolute orientation of DNA remain difficult to detect routinely. Consequently, our understanding of inversions is still surprisingly limited, as is our appreciation for their frequency and involvement in human disease. Here, we introduce the directional genomic hybridization methodology of chromatid painting-a whole new way of looking at structural features of the genome-that can be employed with high resolution on a cell-by-cell basis, and demonstrate its basic capabilities for genome-wide discovery and targeted detection of inversions. Bioinformatics enabled development of sequence- and strand-specific directional probe sets, which when coupled with single-stranded hybridization, greatly improved the resolution and ease of inversion detection. We highlight examples of the far-ranging applicability of this cytogenomics-based approach, which include confirmation of the alignment of the human genome database and evidence that individuals themselves share similar sequence directionality, as well as use in comparative and evolutionary studies for any species whose genome has been sequenced. In addition to applications related to basic mechanistic studies, the information obtainable with strand-specific hybridization strategies may ultimately enable novel gene discovery, thereby benefitting the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of human disease states and disorders including cancer, autism, and idiopathic infertility.

  9. Consumers’ various and surprising responses to direct-to-consumer advertisements in magazine print

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arney, Jennifer; Street, Richard L; Naik, Aanand D

    2013-01-01

    Direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) is ubiquitous in media outlets, but little is known about the ways in which consumers’ values, needs, beliefs, and biases influence the perceived meaning and value of DTCA. This article aims to identify the taxonomy of readership categories that reflect the complexity of how health care consumers interact with DTCA, with particular focus on individuals’ perceptions of print DTCA in popular magazines. Respondent-driven sampling was used to recruit 18 male and female magazine readers and 18 male and female prescription medication users aged 18–71 years. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews with consumers about their attentiveness, motivations, perceived value, and behavioral responses to DTCA were conducted. The analyses were guided by principles of grounded theory analysis; four categories that vary in consumers’ attentiveness, motivations, perceived value, and behavioral responses to DTCA were identified. Two categories – the lay physician and the informed shopper – see value in information from DTCA and are likely to seek medical care based on the information. One category – the voyeur – reads DTCA, but is not likely to approach a clinician regarding advertised information. The fourth category – the evader – ignores DTCA and is not likely to approach a clinician with DTCA information. Responses to DTCA vary considerably among consumers, and physicians should view patients’ understanding and response to DTCA within the context of their health-related needs. Patients’ comments related to DTCA may be used as an opportunity to engage and understand patients’ perspectives about illness and medication use. Clinicians may use information about these categories to facilitate shared understanding and improve communication within the doctor–patient relationship. PMID:23378746

  10. Direct DNA Extraction from Mycobacterium tuberculosis Frozen Stocks as a Reculture-Independent Approach to Whole-Genome Sequencing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bjorn-Mortensen, K; Zallet, J; Lillebaek, T

    2015-01-01

    Culturing before DNA extraction represents a major time-consuming step in whole-genome sequencing of slow-growing bacteria, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We report a workflow to extract DNA from frozen isolates without reculturing. Prepared libraries and sequence data were comparable...... with results from recultured aliquots of the same stocks....

  11. 77 FR 16973 - Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Advertisements; Presentation of the Major Statement in...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-03-23

    ...The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is reopening the comment period on specific data related to a proposed rule published in the Federal Register of March 29,, to establish standards that would be considered in determining whether the major statement in direct-to- consumer (DTC) television and radio advertisements relating to the side effects and contraindications of an advertised prescription drug intended for use by humans is presented in a clear, conspicuous, and neutral manner. In the Federal Register of January 27, 2012, FDA announced that it had added a document to the docket for the proposed rulemaking concerning a study entitled ``Experimental Evaluation of the Impact of Distraction on Consumer Understanding of Risk and Benefit Information in Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Television Advertisements'' (Distraction Study) and the public was given until February 27, 2012, to comment on this study as it relates to the proposed standards. FDA is reopening the comment period for the rulemaking proceeding in response to a request for more time to submit comments to the Agency.

  12. Digital Direct-to-Consumer Advertising: A Perfect Storm of Rapid Evolution and Stagnant Regulation; Comment on “Trouble Spots in Online Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Promotion: A Content Analysis of FDA Warning Letters”

    OpenAIRE

    Tim K. Mackey

    2016-01-01

    The adoption and use of digital forms of direct-to-consumer advertising (also known as "eDTCA") is on the rise. At the same time, the universe of eDTCA is expanding, as technology on Internet-based platforms continues to evolve, from static websites, to social media, and nearly ubiquitous use of mobile devices. However, little is known about how this unique form of pharmaceutical marketing impacts consumer behavior, public health, and overall healthcare utilization. The study by Kim analyzing...

  13. It’s Time to Shine the Light on Direct-to-Consumer Advertising

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mackey, Tim K.; Liang, Bryan A.

    2015-01-01

    Pharmaceutical marketing is undergoing a transition as the business, delivery, and consumption of health care have increasingly become part of a growing digital landscape. Changes in pharmaceutical promotion also coincide with federal “sunshine” regulations newly implemented under the Affordable Care Act that require disclosure of certain marketing and industry payments to physicians. Collectively, these trends could lead to fundamental shifts in physician-directed and direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) that have yet to be adequately identified or explored. In response, we advocate for greater DTCA transparency, especially in the emerging digital forms of DTCA, to complement forthcoming sunshine transparency data. This will allow more robust study and understanding of changes in overall pharmaceutical marketing trends and their impact on health care consumption and behavior. This can also lead to more targeted state and federal policy interventions leveraging existing federal transparency regulations to ensure appropriate marketing, sales, and consumption of pharmaceutical products. PMID:25583897

  14. Adaptation of the short intergenic spacers between co-directional genes to the Shine-Dalgarno motif among prokaryote genomes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Caro, Albert Pallejà; García-Vallvé, Santiago; Romeu, Antoni

    2009-01-01

    ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: In prokaryote genomes most of the co-directional genes are in close proximity. Even the coding sequence or the stop codon of a gene can overlap with the Shine-Dalgarno (SD) sequence of the downstream co-directional gene. In this paper we analyze how the presence of SD may...... influence the stop codon usage or the spacing lengths between co-directional genes. RESULTS: The SD sequences for 530 prokaryote genomes have been predicted using computer calculations of the base-pairing free energy between translation initiation regions and the 16S rRNA 3' tail. Genomes with a large...... to the discussion of which factors affect the intergenic lengths, which cannot be totally explained by the pressure to compact the prokaryote genomes....

  15. Consumer Demand on Halal Cosmetics and Personal Care Products in Indonesia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muniaty Aisyah

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available This research aims to analyze the influential factors involved in Moslem consumers’ decision to purchase halal cosmetics and personal care products in Indonesia by using the Theory of Planned Behavior. 100 questionnaires were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling, collected from respondents of female consumers who purchased Wardah cosmetics and personal care products in South Jakarta and South Tangerang. The findings show that attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control and purchase intention are positively related to the consumers’ decision to purchase halal cosmetics and personal care products. By addressing the consumers’ traits that can predict halal cosmetics and personal care products necessity, marketers could generate proper marketing strategies to validate consumers’ demand which in turn will stimulate the growth of halal products industry in Indonesia.DOI: 10.15408/aiq.v9i1.1867

  16. Farmer-to-Consumer Direct Marketing: The Role of Customer Satisfaction Measurement for Service Innovations

    OpenAIRE

    Spiller, Achim; Zuhlsdorf, Anke; Mellin, Matthias

    2007-01-01

    The importance of direct marketing for high quality farm products has increased during the past few years. This paper analyses the impact of customer satisfaction and its driving forces for farmer- to-consumer direct marketing and is based on a customer survey in 33 organic and conventional on-farm stores in Germany. The results emphasise the role of store atmosphere and customer service as the main influencing factors on customer satisfaction.

  17. Determining consumer preferences for a cash option: Arkansas survey results.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simon-Rusinowitz, L; Mahoney, K J; Desmond, S M; Shoop, D M; Squillace, M R; Fay, R A

    1997-01-01

    As long-term care (LTC) expenditures have risen, policymakers have sought ways to control costs while maintaining consumer satisfaction. Concurrently, there is increasing interest within the aging and disability communities in consumer-directed care. The Cash and Counseling Demonstration and Evaluation (CCDE) seeks to increase consumer direction and control costs by offering a cash allowance and information services to persons with disabilities, enabling them to purchase needed assistance. The authors present results from a telephone survey conducted to assess consumer preferences for a cash option in Arkansas and describe how findings from the four-State CCDE can inform consumer information efforts and policymakers.

  18. The 2007 ABJS Marshall Urist Award: The impact of direct-to-consumer advertising in orthopaedics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bozic, Kevin J; Smith, Amanda R; Hariri, Sanaz; Adeoye, Sanjo; Gourville, John; Maloney, William J; Parsley, Brian; Rubash, Harry E

    2007-05-01

    Direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) has become an influential factor in healthcare delivery in the United States. We evaluated the influence of DTCA on surgeon and patient opinions and behavior in orthopaedics by surveying orthopaedic surgeons who perform hip and knee arthroplasties and patients who were scheduled to have hip or knee arthro-plasty. Respondents were asked for their opinions of and experiences with DTCA, including the influence of DTCA on surgeon and patient decision making. Greater than 98% of surgeon respondents had experience with patients who were exposed to DTCA. The majority of surgeon respondents reported DTCA had an overall negative impact on their practice and their interaction with patients (74%), and their patients often were confused or misinformed about the appropriate treatment for their condition based on an advertisement (77%). Fifty-two percent of patient respondents recalled seeing or hearing advertisements related to hip or knee arthroplasty. These patients were more likely to request a specific type of surgery or brand of implant from their surgeon and to see more than one surgeon before deciding to have surgery. Direct-to-consumer advertising seems to play a substantial role in surgeon and patient decision making in orthopaedics. Future efforts should be aimed at improving the quality and accuracy of information contained in consumer-directed advertisements related to orthopaedic implants and procedures.

  19. Regulating Direct-to-Consumer Advertising of Prescription Drugs in the Digital Age

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shannon Gibson

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available The increasing prominence of new Internet and social media technologies and their growing importance as a source of health information are pushing the pharmaceutical industry towards digital channels. This paper explores the potential impacts of the pharmaceutical industry’s increasing interest in online marketing and considers how the existing regulatory framework in Canada translates into the social media sphere. Direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA of prescription drugs is prohibited in Canada, as it is in most industrialized countries. Although Health Canada has reaffirmed that the existing DTCA regulations apply to new Internet and social media technologies, new dynamics such as user-generated content, consumer propagation, and targeted marketing make applying the existing regulations an uncertain process. Moreover, certain problems often associated with DTCA may be exacerbated in the social media context. Finally, there is skepticism around whether government regulators have the resources or political will to effectively monitor new digital media. As such, this paper considers not only the role of direct government regulation in monitoring and enforcing the regulation of DTCA, but also the role of third party oversight and industry self-regulation—both of which may play an important role in filling the gaps in the regulation of the Internet and social media.

  20. Protecting and Evaluating Genomic Privacy in Medical Tests and Personalized Medicine

    OpenAIRE

    Ayday, Erman; Raisaro, Jean Louis; Rougemont, Jacques; Hubaux, Jean-Pierre

    2013-01-01

    In this paper, we propose privacy-enhancing technologies for medical tests and personalized medicine methods that use patients' genomic data. Focusing on genetic disease-susceptibility tests, we develop a new architecture (between the patient and the medical unit) and propose a "privacy-preserving disease susceptibility test" (PDS) by using homomorphic encryption and proxy re-encryption. Assuming the whole genome sequencing to be done by a certified institution, we propose to store patients' ...

  1. Hot water glows directly to the consumer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Decken; Fedders; Hohlein.

    1980-01-01

    The supply of industry and households with heat is a central problem of our economy. With the background of a crisis-affected oil supply the long term ensured heat supply with nuclear power plants is a discussible alternative. The long distance transfer of heat in the form of hot water, that is heated in nuclear power plants and led over a long-distance heating pipeline network to the consumers is limited by the inevitable heat losses. For the bridging of long distances between heat source and consumer and for the supply of heat at a high temperature level the long-distance transport by the Eva-Adam-principle has clear advantages. (orig.) [de

  2. Health Orientation, Knowledge, and Attitudes toward Genetic Testing and Personalized Genomic Services: Preliminary Data from an Italian Sample

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Serena Oliveri

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective. The study aims at assessing personality tendencies and orientations that could be closely correlated with knowledge, awareness, and interest toward undergoing genetic testing. Methods. A sample of 145 subjects in Italy completed an online survey, investigating demographic data, health orientation, level of perceived knowledge about genetic risk, genetic screening, and personal attitudes toward direct to consumer genetic testing (DTCGT. Results. Results showed that respondents considered genetic assessment to be helpful for disease prevention, but they were concerned that results could affect their life planning with little clinical utility. Furthermore, a very high percentage of respondents (67% had never heard about genetic testing directly available to the public. Data showed that personality tendencies, such as personal health consciousness, health internal control, health esteem, and confidence, motivation to avoid unhealthiness and motivation for healthiness affected the uptake of genetic information and the interest in undergoing genetic testing. Conclusions. Public knowledge and attitudes toward genetic risk and genetic testing among European countries, along with individual personality and psychological tendencies that could affect these attitudes, remain unexplored. The present study constitutes one of the first attempts to investigate how such personality tendencies could motivation to undergo genetic testing and engagement in lifestyle changes.

  3. The Impact of Direct-to-Consumer Advertising on Pharmaceutical Prices and Demand

    OpenAIRE

    Dhaval Dave; Henry Saffer

    2010-01-01

    Expenditures on prescription drugs are one of the fastest growing components of national health care spending, rising by almost three-fold between 1995 and 2007. Coinciding with this growth in prescription drug expenditures has been a rapid rise in direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA), made feasible by the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) clarification and relaxation of the rules governing broadcast advertising in 1997 and 1999. This study investigates the separate effects of broadcast a...

  4. Consumer lifestyle approach to US energy use and the related CO2 emissions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bin Shui; Dowlatabadi, Hadi

    2005-01-01

    Historically, a sectoral approach (based on the industrial, transportation, commercial, and residential sectors) has shaped the way we frame and analyze issues of energy conservation and CO 2 mitigation. This sectoral categorization, however, is limited in its capacity to reveal the total impacts of consumer activities on energy use and its related environmental impacts. In this paper, we propose an alternative paradigm, called the Consumer Lifestyle Approach (CLA), to explore the relationship between consumer activities and environmental impacts in the US. Estimates based on our methodology reveal that more than 80% of the energy used and the CO 2 emitted in the US are a consequence of consumer demands and the economic activities to support these demands. Direct influences due to consumer activities (home energy use and personal travel) are 4% of the US GDP, but account for 28% and 41% of US energy use and CO 2 emissions, respectively. Indirect influences (such as housing operations, transportation operations, food, and apparel) involve more than twice the direct energy use and CO 2 emissions. Characterization of both direct and indirect energy use and emissions is critical to the design of more effective energy and CO 2 emission policies. It may also help erode the false dichotomy of 'them versus us' (industrial polluters versus consumers) references to the locus of responsibility for control of energy use and CO 2 emissions

  5. Consumer lifestyle approach to US energy use and the related CO2 emissions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bin, Shui; Dowlatabadi, Hadi

    2005-01-01

    Historically, a sectoral approach (based on the industrial, transportation, commercial, and residential sectors) has shaped the way we frame and analyze issues of energy conservation and CO 2 mitigation. This sectoral categorization, however, is limited in its capacity to reveal the total impacts of consumer activities on energy use and its related environmental impacts. In this paper, we propose an alternative paradigm, called the Consumer Lifestyle Approach (CLA), to explore the relationship between consumer activities and environmental impacts in the US. Estimates based on our methodology reveal that more than 80% of the energy used and the CO 2 emitted in the US are a consequence of consumer demands and the economic activities to support these demands. Direct influences due to consumer activities (home energy use and personal travel) are 4% of the US GDP, but account for 28% and 41% of US energy use and CO 2 emissions, respectively. Indirect influences (such as housing operations, transportation operations, food, and apparel) involve more than twice the direct energy use and CO 2 emissions. Characterization of both direct and indirect energy use and emissions is critical to the design of more effective energy and CO 2 emission policies. It may also help erode the false dichotomy of 'them versus us' (industrial polluters versus consumers) references to the locus of responsibility for control of energy use and CO 2 emissions. (Author)

  6. Consumer attitudes toward personal health records in a beacon community.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patel, Vaishali N; Abramson, Erika; Edwards, Alison M; Cheung, Melissa A; Dhopeshwarkar, Rina V; Kaushal, Rainu

    2011-04-01

    To characterize consumers' attitudes about personal health records (PHRs), electronic tools that enable consumers to securely access, manage, and share their health information, in a community participating in health information technology initiatives. Cross-sectional study. A random-digit-dial telephone survey about PHRs was conducted among adult residents of New York State's greater Buffalo region. Multivariate regression analyses identified factors associated with potential PHR use. We obtained a 79% (n = 200) response rate. Many respondents (70%) would potentially use PHRs. Consumers wanted PHRs to incorporate an array of information, including immunization records (89%) and providers visited (88%). They expressed interest in several online activities, including accessing their family members' healthcare information (71%). Potential PHR use was associated with perceptions that PHRs would improve privacy and security of medical information (odds ratio [OR] 4.7; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1, 20.1), understanding regarding health (OR 3.7; 95% CI 1.3, 11.1), and overall quality of care (OR 3.6; 95% CI 1.2, 10.6). Potential PHR use was associated with annual household income of more than $30,000 (OR 3.9; 95% CI 1.3, 11.9) and experience looking up health information online (OR 3.0; 95% CI 1.1, 8.1). Consumers expressed great interest in using PHRs and wanted comprehensive PHRs. However, the "digital divide" between those with varying levels of Internet experience and concerns about PHRs’ effect on privacy and security of medical information may limit use. Designing PHRs that incorporate consumer preferences and developing policies that address these barriers may increase consumers' PHR use.

  7. Communication is the key. : Part 2 : Direct to consumer genetics in our future daily life ?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perbal, Bernard

    2014-12-01

    The considerable advances of genome sequencing over the past decades have had a profound impact on our daily life and opened up new avenues for the public to have access to their genetic information and learn more about their ancestry, genealogy and other traits that make each of us unique individuals. A very large number of individual single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been associated to diseases whereas others have no known phenotype. For example, among the SNPs mapped within ccn1(cyr61), ccn2(ctgf), ccn3(nov), ccn4(wisp-1), ccn5(wisp-2) and ccn6 (wisp-3), only mutations within ccn4 were associated to PPD (the autosomal recessive skeletal disorder Progressive Pseudorheumatoid Dysplasia). On the occasion of this JCCS special issue on the roles of hormetic responses in adaptation, and response of living species to the modifications of their environment, it appeared that it was a good time to briefly review a topic that has been the subject of passionate discussions for the past few years, that is Direct to Consumer genetic tests (DTC GT). Based on the use of DNA analysis and identification of polymorphisms, DTC GT have been developed by several companies in the USA and in countries where there was no legal obstacle for customers to have direct access to their genetic information and manage their healthcare. Problems that arose and decisions that have been taken by regulatory agencies are presented and discussed in this editorial. The « freeze » of health-oriented DTC GT in the USA neither implies the end of DNA analysis nor « fun » applications, which are not aimed at providing risks estimates for particular illnesses. As shown in the example which is discussed in this editorial, DTC GT for cosmetic applications might be considered a fun application of great interest for companies such as L'Oréal, who recently developed the Makeup Genius mobile application. Other fun applications of DTC GT are discussed but there is no doubt that nothing will stop

  8. i-Genome: A database to summarize oligonucleotide data in genomes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chang Yu-Chung

    2004-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Information on the occurrence of sequence features in genomes is crucial to comparative genomics, evolutionary analysis, the analyses of regulatory sequences and the quantitative evaluation of sequences. Computing the frequencies and the occurrences of a pattern in complete genomes is time-consuming. Results The proposed database provides information about sequence features generated by exhaustively computing the sequences of the complete genome. The repetitive elements in the eukaryotic genomes, such as LINEs, SINEs, Alu and LTR, are obtained from Repbase. The database supports various complete genomes including human, yeast, worm, and 128 microbial genomes. Conclusions This investigation presents and implements an efficiently computational approach to accumulate the occurrences of the oligonucleotides or patterns in complete genomes. A database is established to maintain the information of the sequence features, including the distributions of oligonucleotide, the gene distribution, the distribution of repetitive elements in genomes and the occurrences of the oligonucleotides. The database can provide more effective and efficient way to access the repetitive features in genomes.

  9. Consumer Adoption of Personal Health Record Systems: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Assadi, Vahid; Hassanein, Khaled

    2017-07-27

    Personal Health Records (PHR) systems provide individuals with access and control over their health information and consequently can support individuals in becoming active participants, rather than passive recipients, in their own care process. In spite of numerous benefits suggested for consumers' utilizing PHR systems, research has shown that such systems are not yet widely adopted or well known to consumers. Bearing in mind the potential benefits of PHRs to consumers and their potential interest in these systems-and that similar to any other type of information system, adoption is a prerequisite for realizing the potential benefits of PHR systems-research is needed to understand how to enhance the adoption rates for PHR systems. This research seeks to understand how individuals' intentions to adopt PHR systems are affected by their self-determination in managing their own health-the extent of their ability to take an active role in managing their own health. As such, this research aims to develop and empirically validate a theoretical model that explains PHR systems adoption by the general public through the integration of theories from the information systems and psychology literatures. This research employs a cross-sectional survey method targeted at the Canadian general public without any prior experience in using PHR systems. A partial least squares approach to structural equation modeling was used to validate the proposed research model of this study (N=159). Individuals with higher levels of ability to manage their own health (self-determination) are more likely to adopt PHR systems since they have more positive perceptions regarding the use of such systems. Further, such self-determination is fueled by autonomy support from consumers' physicians as well as the consumers' personality trait of autonomy orientation. This study advances our theoretical understanding of PHR systems adoption. It also contributes to practice by providing insightful implications

  10. Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Medicine Advertising and Seniors' Knowledge of Alzheimer's Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Jin Seong

    2016-02-01

    This study examined whether seniors' exposure to direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) for Alzheimer's disease (AD) medicine contributes to his or her subjective and objective knowledge of AD. A self-administered survey was conducted with a sample of 626 US seniors who were registered for an online consumer research panel. The study found that (1) exposure to DTCA for AD medicine was positively related to seniors' subjective knowledge of AD, (2) DTCA exposure had no significant relationship with overall objective knowledge of AD, and (3) DTCA exposure might influence knowledge of specific features of AD. Although DTCA for AD medicine may induce people to "feel" knowledgeable about AD, it may not result in an equivalent increase in actual knowledge. Therefore, to enhance doctor-patient interactions, both patients and doctors should be aware that although DTCA delivers important and potentially useful health information, it does not necessarily enhance actual knowledge. © The Author(s) 2014.

  11. Does direct-to-consumer advertising affect patients' choice of pain medications?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Yifei; Doucette, William R

    2008-04-01

    In the United States, direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) has grown rapidly to promote prescription medications, including analgesics. Few studies in the literature directly examine the association between DTCA and patients' choice of pain medications. This article discusses how DTCA affects such choice from a behavioral perspective, because DTCA-prompted behaviors are important indicators of DTCA's influence. After DTCA exposure, patients may request prescriptions, seek further medication information, and ask about advertised conditions. Patients who suffer from pain may seek more communication with their health care providers because they are cautious about the information quality of DTCA, mainly because of the recall of rofecoxib (Vioxx; Merck, Whitehouse Station, NJ). However, the availability and DTCA of over-the-counter analgesics complicate their treatment choice. Patients could use DTCA as a tool to launch health communication and make an informed treatment choice with the guidance of their health care providers.

  12. Direct-to-consumer marketing of psychological treatments: A randomized controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gallo, Kaitlin P; Comer, Jonathan S; Barlow, David H; Clarke, Roberta N; Antony, Martin M

    2015-10-01

    Although direct-to-consumer (DTC) marketing of pharmacologic interventions is effective and common, similar approaches have yet to be evaluated in the promotion of psychological treatments (PTs). This is the first randomized controlled trial evaluating the potential of DTC marketing of PTs. Participants (N = 344; 75.0% female, mean age = 18.6 years, 48.5% non-Hispanic White) were randomly assigned to consume one of four extended commercial campaigns embedded within unrelated programming across 3 weeks. The four campaign conditions were a PT campaign, a PT informing about medication side effects campaign, a medication campaign, and a neutral campaign. Attitudes about and intention to seek psychological treatment were assessed prior to campaign exposure (T1), 1 week following the final week of campaign exposure (T2), and at a 3-month follow-up evaluation (T3). The percentage of participants who newly intended psychological treatment at T2 or T3 differed by condition, with those assigned to the PT campaign slightly more likely to have intended to receive psychological treatment at T2 or T3 than those in other conditions. Baseline reports of emotional symptoms moderated the effect of condition on attitudes toward PT and perceived likelihood of seeking treatment in the future. Findings support the preliminary utility of DTC marketing of psychological treatments. Increasing consumer knowledge of PTs may be a worthwhile complement to current dissemination and implementation efforts aimed at promoting the uptake of PTs in mental health care. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

  13. Impact of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) on patient health-related behaviors and issues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Polen, Hyla H; Khanfar, Nile M; Clauson, Kevin A

    2009-01-01

    The pharmaceutical industry spends billions of dollars annually on direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA). Patient perspectives on the impact of televised DTCA on health-related behaviors and issues were assessed by means of a 68-question survey. 58.6% of respondents believed that DTCA allowed consumers to have a more active role in managing their health. However, 27.6% felt DTCA caused confusion, and an alarming 17.8% of respondents stopped taking their medication because of concerns about serious side effects mentioned in DTCA. Overall, participants believed DTCA plays a useful role in health self-management; however, a considerable percentage thought that the cost outweighs the benefits.

  14. STORMSeq: an open-source, user-friendly pipeline for processing personal genomics data in the cloud.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karczewski, Konrad J; Fernald, Guy Haskin; Martin, Alicia R; Snyder, Michael; Tatonetti, Nicholas P; Dudley, Joel T

    2014-01-01

    The increasing public availability of personal complete genome sequencing data has ushered in an era of democratized genomics. However, read mapping and variant calling software is constantly improving and individuals with personal genomic data may prefer to customize and update their variant calls. Here, we describe STORMSeq (Scalable Tools for Open-Source Read Mapping), a graphical interface cloud computing solution that does not require a parallel computing environment or extensive technical experience. This customizable and modular system performs read mapping, read cleaning, and variant calling and annotation. At present, STORMSeq costs approximately $2 and 5-10 hours to process a full exome sequence and $30 and 3-8 days to process a whole genome sequence. We provide this open-access and open-source resource as a user-friendly interface in Amazon EC2.

  15. Os riscos genômicos e a responsabilidade pessoal em saúde Genomic risk and personal responsibility in health

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luis David Castiel

    2006-03-01

    Full Text Available With the advent of genomic research, a new category of risk has emerged-genetic risk-from which an individual cannot be separated. Among the outcomes of this model is a discussion on personal accountability, according to which an individual may both be exempted from events related to certain states of health ("blame it on the genes" or be blamed for those events ("transmitter of disease". In addition, the search for genes to explain disease erases the line between what is normal and what is pathological, with a growing tendency towards considering individuals with no or very mild clinical manifestations as being "ill." The great emphasis on genomics may lead to both an exaggerated attention to genetics rather than social and environmental factors and to a reductionism that favors sociobiological explanations for human behavior. In addition, in this scenario, the right to information may paradoxically stimulate some to consume goods and services in order to prevent a hypothetical illness that could occur at some point in time as a result of genetic predisposition-goods and services that may not be available to everyone. It is essential that such issues be considered with the same urgency with which the genomic paradigm is being developed.

  16. Optimistic bias, advertising skepticism, and consumer intentions for seeking information about the health risks of prescription medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Jin Seong; Ahn, Ho-Young Anthony; Haley, Eric John

    2017-01-01

    Based on a survey of prescription drug users (N = 408), this study revealed that: (a) the frequency of consumers' personal experience of prescription medicine adverse reactions negatively related to the extent of their optimistic bias about the chances of such events, (b) consumers' perceived personal control over adverse reactions positively related to optimistic bias, and (c) optimistic bias related more negatively to intentions to seek risk information when consumer skepticism toward direct-to-consumer advertising was high. When skepticism was low to average, optimistic bias did not inhibit such intentions. Implications and recommendations for the practice of direct-to-consumer advertising are provided.

  17. Effects of comparative claims in prescription drug direct-to-consumer advertising on consumer perceptions and recall.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Donoghue, Amie C; Williams, Pamela A; Sullivan, Helen W; Boudewyns, Vanessa; Squire, Claudia; Willoughby, Jessica Fitts

    2014-11-01

    Although pharmaceutical companies cannot make comparative claims in direct-to-consumer (DTC) ads for prescription drugs without substantial evidence, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration permits some comparisons based on labeled attributes of the drug, such as dosing. Researchers have examined comparative advertising for packaged goods; however, scant research has examined comparative DTC advertising. We conducted two studies to determine if comparative claims in DTC ads influence consumers' perceptions and recall of drug information. In Experiment 1, participants with osteoarthritis (n=1934) viewed a fictitious print or video DTC ad that had no comparative claim or made an efficacy comparison to a named or unnamed competitor. Participants who viewed print (but not video) ads with named competitors had greater efficacy and lower risk perceptions than participants who viewed unnamed competitor and noncomparative ads. In Experiment 2, participants with high cholesterol or high body mass index (n=5317) viewed a fictitious print or video DTC ad that had no comparative claim or made a comparison to a named or unnamed competitor. We varied the type of comparison (of indication, dosing, or mechanism of action) and whether the comparison was accompanied by a visual depiction. Participants who viewed print and video ads with named competitors had greater efficacy perceptions than participants who viewed unnamed competitor and noncomparative ads. Unlike Experiment 1, named competitors in print ads resulted in higher risk perceptions than unnamed competitors. In video ads, participants who saw an indication comparison had greater benefit recall than participants who saw dosing or mechanism of action comparisons. In addition, visual depictions of the comparison decreased risk recall for video ads. Overall, the results suggest that comparative claims in DTC ads could mislead consumers about a drug's efficacy and risk; therefore, caution should be used when presenting

  18. Do coverage mandates affect direct-to-consumer advertising for pharmaceuticals? Evidence from parity laws.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nathenson, Robert; Richards, Michael R

    2018-01-29

    Direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) for prescription drugs is a relatively unique feature of the US health care system and a source of tens of billions of dollars in annual spending. It has also garnered the attention of researchers and policymakers interested in its implications for firm and consumer behavior. However, few economic studies have explored the DTCA response to public policies, especially those mandating coverage of these products. We use detailed advertising expenditure data to assess if pharmaceutical firms increase their marketing efforts after the implementation of relevant state and federal health insurance laws. We focus on mental health parity statutes and related drug therapies-a potentially ripe setting for inducing stronger consumer demand. We find no clear indication that firms expect greater value from DTCA after these regulatory changes. DTCA appears driven by other considerations (e.g., product debut); however, it remains a possibility that firms respond to these laws through other, unobserved channels (e.g., provider detailing).

  19. Content analysis of Australian direct-to-consumer websites for emerging breast cancer imaging devices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vreugdenburg, Thomas D; Laurence, Caroline O; Willis, Cameron D; Mundy, Linda; Hiller, Janet E

    2014-09-01

    To describe the nature and frequency of information presented on direct-to-consumer websites for emerging breast cancer imaging devices. Content analysis of Australian website advertisements from 2 March 2011 to 30 March 2012, for three emerging breast cancer imaging devices: digital infrared thermal imaging, electrical impedance scanning and electronic palpation imaging. Type of imaging offered, device safety, device performance, application of device, target population, supporting evidence and comparator tests. Thirty-nine unique Australian websites promoting a direct-to-consumer breast imaging device were identified. Despite a lack of supporting evidence, 22 websites advertised devices for diagnosis, 20 advertised devices for screening, 13 advertised devices for prevention and 13 advertised devices for identifying breast cancer risk factors. Similarly, advertised ranges of diagnostic sensitivity (78%-99%) and specificity (44%-91%) were relatively high compared with published literature. Direct comparisons with conventional screening tools that favoured the new device were highly prominent (31 websites), and one-third of websites (12) explicitly promoted their device as a suitable alternative. Australian websites for emerging breast imaging devices, which are also available internationally, promote the use of such devices as safe and effective solutions for breast cancer screening and diagnosis in a range of target populations. Many of these claims are not supported by peer-reviewed evidence, raising questions about the manner in which these devices and their advertising material are regulated, particularly when they are promoted as direct alternatives to established screening interventions.

  20. Traditional and online consumers in China: a preliminary study of their personality traits and decision-making styles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Junpeng; Xu, You; Huang, Jingyi; Yeow, Changdar; Wang, Wei

    2012-12-01

    Population of online consumers increases rapidly, but the decision-making styles of online consumers and psychiatric denominators such as the personality correlates remain unclear. In 196 traditional, and 196 age-, education- and gender-matched online consumers, we have tested the Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire (ZKPQ) and the Consumer Style Inventory (CSI). After exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, we have defined a five-factor model CSI with 24 items. Online consumers scored lower on ZKPQ Neuroticism-Anxiety and higher on Aggression-Hostility than traditional ones did, and scored higher on CSI Novelty-fashion consciousness and Brand consciousness, and lower on Time consciousness than the traditional consumers did. ZKPQ Neuroticism-Anxiety was positively correlated with CSI Confused by overchoice in both groups, Sociability was positively correlated with Novelty-fashion consciousness and negatively with Time consciousness in traditional group, and Impulsive Sensation Seeking was positively correlated with Novelty-fashion consciousness and Time consciousness in online group. Our study suggests that, regarding the decision-making styles, online consumers display curiosity that lacks security and need other ways to improve their social lives. It also calls further designs to address the contributions of other psychiatric features to the particular decision-making styles in online consumers.

  1. Facilitating consumer participation: an approach to finding the 'right' consumer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Happell, Brenda

    2010-01-01

    Contemporary health care increasingly dictates that consumers of services should become active participants in the health care system. This has placed responsibility on administrators, managers and clinicians to include consumers in key strategic and decision making initiatives. However, this direction has not been accompanied by clear policies or guidelines. Consequently confusion about selecting consumers able to provide valuable input is identified as a barrier to active consumer involvement. The purpose of this paper is to address some concerns raised in the quest to find the "right" consumer, including: finding a consumer without an axe to grind; ensuring the consumer is representative of broader views; health professionals as consumer representatives. While these concerns are common they have not yet been extensively debated and discussed in the broader Literature. Strategies necessary to support consumers in participatory roles are also considered and the controversial subject of financial remuneration for consumers is also explored.

  2. Genome-wide Association Study of Personality Traits in the Long Life Family Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Harold T Bae

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available Personality traits have been shown to be associated with longevity and healthy aging. In order to discover novel genetic modifiers associated with personality traits as related with longevity, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS on personality factors assessed by NEO-FFI in individuals enrolled in the Long Life Family Study (LLFS, a study of 583 families (N up to 4595 with clustering for longevity in the United States and Denmark. Three SNPs, in almost perfect LD, associated with agreeableness reached genome-wide significance (p<10-8 and replicated in an additional sample of 1279 LLFS subjects, although one (rs9650241 failed to replicate and the other two were not available in two independent replication cohorts, the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging and the New England Centenarian Study. Based on 10,000,000 permutations, the empirical p-value of 2X10-7 was observed for the genome-wide significant SNPs. Seventeen SNPs that reached marginal statistical significance in the two previous GWASs (p-value < 10-4 and 10-5, were also marginally significantly associated in this study (p-value < 0.05, although none of the associations passed the Bonferroni correction. In addition, we tested age-by-SNP interactions and found some significant associations. Since scores of personality traits in LLFS subjects change in the oldest ages, and genetic factors outweigh environmental factors to achieve extreme ages, these age-by-SNP interactions could be a proxy for complex gene-gene interactions affecting personality traits and longevity.

  3. Do perceptions of direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising vary based on urban versus rural living?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spake, Deborah F; Joseph, Mathew; Megehee, Carol M

    2014-01-01

    This study explores the connection between perceptions of direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising based on where people live and shop. Urban consumers were found to be more skeptical of DTC advertising, but more likely to believe that physicians select pharmaceuticals based on the efficacy of the product. Those living in rural areas were more motivated to visit a doctor and more likely to feel an equal doctor-patient relationship after exposure to DTC advertising. Interaction effects among gender, income, and education were detected, as well as an interaction effects between location and income on views of DTC advertising.

  4. STORMSeq: an open-source, user-friendly pipeline for processing personal genomics data in the cloud.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Konrad J Karczewski

    Full Text Available The increasing public availability of personal complete genome sequencing data has ushered in an era of democratized genomics. However, read mapping and variant calling software is constantly improving and individuals with personal genomic data may prefer to customize and update their variant calls. Here, we describe STORMSeq (Scalable Tools for Open-Source Read Mapping, a graphical interface cloud computing solution that does not require a parallel computing environment or extensive technical experience. This customizable and modular system performs read mapping, read cleaning, and variant calling and annotation. At present, STORMSeq costs approximately $2 and 5-10 hours to process a full exome sequence and $30 and 3-8 days to process a whole genome sequence. We provide this open-access and open-source resource as a user-friendly interface in Amazon EC2.

  5. Appeals to consumer responsibility and improving structural conditions as means to promote sustainable consumer behavior

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thøgersen, John

    for their acts or (b) structural conditions determined by governments? In field experiments with large samples of ordinary consumers, the behavioral effects of perceptions of responsibility/personal moral norms and of altering an important structural condition are quantified by measuring a relevant behavior......-developed public transit service. The results suggest that there is often more to gain from changing structural conditions to be more facilitating for the desired behavior than from a campaign targeting consumer feelings of responsibility.......Environmental policy-makers increasingly emphasize consumers' responsibility for environmental side effects of their acts, but is this justified? This paper investigates which is the most important limiting factor for sustainable consumption: (a) the extent to which consumers assume responsibility...

  6. Direct-to-consumer advertisements of prescription medications over the Internet.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fogel, Joshua; Novick, Daniel

    2009-01-01

    This study sought data on the impact of direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertisements and both intentions and frequency to seek more information about the drug being advertised. Data were collected from 498 college students regarding intention to seek and how frequently they obtained more information about prescription medications. For intentions, grocery or pharmacy and radio advertisements were associated with lesser intentions. For frequency, Internet advertisements were associated, while newspaper and spam e-mail advertisements were not. Types of sources associated with seeking additional information were doctor, Internet, and 1-800 information numbers. A significant interaction existed for seeing Internet advertisements for drugs and then seeking additional information from a doctor and not from the Internet. In conclusion, Internet advertising is associated with seeking additional information from a reliable source such as a doctor.

  7. Model Predictive Control for Integration of Industrial Consumers to the Smart Grid under a Direct Control Policy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rahnama, Samira; Stoustrup, Jakob; Rasmussen, Henrik

    2013-01-01

    in case there is imbalance between demand and supply. We consider heterogeneous consumers at the bottom level, namely a cold storage in supermarkets and a chiller equipped with ice storage. These consumers are under the direct control of a mid-level controller, a so-called aggregator. The aggregator...... by the aggregator....

  8. Right to privacy and some methods of direct marketing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hana Kelblová

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Promotion constitutes part of the marketing mix which consists of advertising, sales support, public relations, personal sale and direct marketing. It may be stated that the law delimits boundaries to all these elements of the communication mix. In the following contribution I will only focus on some methods of direct marketing and I intend to investigate the “purposeful appeal to purchase and consumer behaviour of clients” as viewed by the present Czech law. These communications often disturb the privacy of individuals, harass in an inappropriate time, marketing companies often illegally collect and share customers’ personal information. My target is to list legal limits instituted in the sphere of direct marketing for the individual marketing practices by the Czech law.

  9. Integrated Personal Health Records: Transformative Tools for Consumer-Centric Care

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raymond Brian

    2008-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Integrated personal health records (PHRs offer significant potential to stimulate transformational changes in health care delivery and self-care by patients. In 2006, an invitational roundtable sponsored by Kaiser Permanente Institute, the American Medical Informatics Association, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality was held to identify the transformative potential of PHRs, as well as barriers to realizing this potential and a framework for action to move them closer to the health care mainstream. This paper highlights and builds on the insights shared during the roundtable. Discussion While there is a spectrum of dominant PHR models, (standalone, tethered, integrated, the authors state that only the integrated model has true transformative potential to strengthen consumers' ability to manage their own health care. Integrated PHRs improve the quality, completeness, depth, and accessibility of health information provided by patients; enable facile communication between patients and providers; provide access to health knowledge for patients; ensure portability of medical records and other personal health information; and incorporate auto-population of content. Numerous factors impede widespread adoption of integrated PHRs: obstacles in the health care system/culture; issues of consumer confidence and trust; lack of technical standards for interoperability; lack of HIT infrastructure; the digital divide; uncertain value realization/ROI; and uncertain market demand. Recent efforts have led to progress on standards for integrated PHRs, and government agencies and private companies are offering different models to consumers, but substantial obstacles remain to be addressed. Immediate steps to advance integrated PHRs should include sharing existing knowledge and expanding knowledge about them, building on existing efforts, and continuing dialogue among public and private sector stakeholders. Summary Integrated PHRs

  10. Trouble Spots in Online Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Promotion: Teaching Drug Marketers How to Inform Better or Spin Better? Comment on "Trouble Spots in Online Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Promotion: A Content Analysis of FDA Warning Letters".

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doran, Evan

    2016-02-21

    Hyosun Kim's report "Trouble Spots in Online Direct to Consumer Prescription Drug Promotion: A content Analysis of FDA Warning Letters" aims to teach marketers how to avoid breaching current Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines in their online drug promotion. While Kim hopes to minimise the potential for online promotion to misinform consumers and the study is carefully conducted, teaching drug marketers how to avoid the common mistakes in online drug promotion is more likely to make marketers more adept at spinning information than appropriately balancing it. © 2016 by Kerman University of Medical Sciences.

  11. The Role of Blogs in Consumer Behavior – Knowledge and Direction

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Jeanne

    This paper explores the role of blogs as a form of social media and how blogs might influence consumers’ behavior. Blogs have gained limited attention so far in scholarly research the focus has primarily been directed at blogs as a communication channel for companies and at what motivates bloggers...... to engage in such an activity. Little attention has been paid to the meaning of blogs for consumers as readers and how blogs influence consumer behavior. The consumer perspective is crucial to explore to gain a better understanding of the potential of blogs and how companies can manage this aspect...

  12. Open sharing of genomic data: Who does it and why?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tobias Haeusermann

    Full Text Available We explored the characteristics and motivations of people who, having obtained their genetic or genomic data from Direct-To-Consumer genetic testing (DTC-GT companies, voluntarily decide to share them on the publicly accessible web platform openSNP. The study is the first attempt to describe open data sharing activities undertaken by individuals without institutional oversight. In the paper we provide a detailed overview of the distribution of the demographic characteristics and motivations of people engaged in genetic or genomic open data sharing. The geographical distribution of the respondents showed the USA as dominant. There was no significant gender divide, the age distribution was broad, educational background varied and respondents with and without children were equally represented. Health, even though prominent, was not the respondents' primary or only motivation to be tested. As to their motivations to openly share their data, 86.05% indicated wanting to learn about themselves as relevant, followed by contributing to the advancement of medical research (80.30%, improving the predictability of genetic testing (76.02% and considering it fun to explore genotype and phenotype data (75.51%. Whereas most respondents were well aware of the privacy risks of their involvement in open genetic data sharing and considered the possibility of direct, personal repercussions troubling, they estimated the risk of this happening to be negligible. Our findings highlight the diversity of DTC-GT consumers who decide to openly share their data. Instead of focusing exclusively on health-related aspects of genetic testing and data sharing, our study emphasizes the importance of taking into account benefits and risks that stretch beyond the health spectrum. Our results thus lend further support to the call for a broader and multi-faceted conceptualization of genomic utility.

  13. Direct-to-physician and direct-to-consumer advertising: Time to have stringent regulations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kannan, S; Gowri, S; Tyagi, V; Kohli, S; Jain, R; Kapil, P; Bhardwaj, A

    2015-01-01

    Direct to physician advertisements and direct to consumer advertisement (DTCA) is a well-known marketing strategy of pharmaceutical companies. Studies from the West and also from the Indian sub-continent revealed several lacunae in such advertisements. The present study was carried out to understand the international and national scenario regarding the lacunae in drug advertisements and the opinion of both physicians and patients regarding DTCA. The present study was conducted after obtaining approval from the institutional ethics committee. Warning letters (WLs) issued to pharmaceutical companies by United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) and Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) due to discrepancies in the advertisements were analyzed for reasons that were grouped into one of the following categories: overstatement of efficacy; unapproved indication; lack of adequate directions to use; omission of adverse effects; misleading claims; advertisement made for an unapproved drug (investigational new product). Drug advertisements in Current Index of Medical Specialties (CIMS) April-July 2014 issue was also analyzed for lacunae depending on categories as mentioned above. Physicians and patients in a tertiary care medical college and hospital were administered a validated questionnaire exploring their views about crucial aspects of DTCA. Descriptive statistics was used for each of the categories. A total of 93 WLs issued by USFDA and 36 by TGA were assessed. Majority of the WLs by USFDA were issued for omission of adverse effects (61/93, 65.6%) followed by misleading claims (54/93, 58.1%). Similarly, WLs by TGA were also mainly issued for the presence of misleading claims (35/36, 97.2%) followed by overstatement of efficacy (26/36, 72.2%) and CIMS evaluation had revealed that 78/92 (84.8%) advertisements omitted adverse effects, 20/92 (21.7%) had misleading claims, 9/92 (9.8%) had unapproved indications and 7/92 (7.6%) overstated the efficacy. With regard to

  14. Dissociating indifferent, directional, and extreme responding in personality data

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zettler, Ingo; Lang, Jonas W B; Hülsheger, Ute R

    2015-01-01

    - and observer reports of personality traits. The three-process model captures indifferent, directional, and extreme responding. Substantively, we hypothesize that, and test whether, trait Honesty-Humility is negatively linked to extreme responding. METHOD: We applied the three-process model to personality data......-process model. Second, we show that the various response processes show a pattern of correlations across traits and rating sources which is in line with the idea that indifferent and extreme responding are person-specific tendencies, whereas directional responding is content-specific. Third, we report findings...... of N = 577 dyads (self- and observer reports of the HEXACO Personality Inventory-Revised) of Dutch and German respondents. RESULTS: First, we provide evidence that indifferent, directional, and extreme responding can be separated from each other in personality data through the use of the three...

  15. Personalized medicine: reality and reality checks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leeder, J Steven; Spielberg, Stephen P

    2009-05-01

    The evolving era of pharmacogenomics and personalized medicine is greeted with optimism by many, but this sentiment is not universally shared. The existence of diametrically opposed opinions concerning the potential benefits and obstacles facing the widespread implementation of genomic medicine should stimulate discussion and guide the design of studies to establish the value of interventions targeted at the level of individual patients. One of the more controversial aspects of personalized medicine is whether the anticipated benefits will be realized at an acceptable cost. Recently released analyses suggest that the returns on investment depend on the particular scenario and are different for different stakeholders. On the other hand, cost is only one of the challenges regarding implementation of personalized medicine. Among these are the development of universal standards for managing genomic information in electronic medical records, improvement in the collection and interpretation of clinical phenotype data, and new strategies to educate practitioners and patients/consumers. The reality is that personalized medicine is upon us; open discourse and periodic reality checks will be necessary as we confront it.

  16. Trade Agreements and Direct-to-Consumer Advertising of Pharmaceuticals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Deborah Gleeson

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available There is growing international concern about the risks posed by direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA of prescription pharmaceuticals, including via the internet. Recent trade agreements negotiated by the United States, however, incorporate provisions that may constrain national regulation of DTCA. Some provisions explicitly mention DTCA; others enable foreign investors to seek compensation if new regulations are seen to harm their investments. These provisions may thus prevent countries from restricting DTCA or put them at risk of expensive legal action from companies seeking damages due to restrictions on advertising. While the most recent example, the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP, collapsed following US withdrawal in January 2017, early indications of the Trump Administration’s trade policy agenda signal an even more aggressive approach on the part of the United States in negotiating advantages for American businesses. Furthermore, the eleven remaining TPP countries may decide to proceed with the agreement in the absence of the United States, with most of the original text (including the provisions relevant to DTCA intact.

  17. Privacy calculus and its utility for personalization services in e-commerce : An analysis of consumer decision-making

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zhu, H.; Ou, Carol; van den Heuvel, Willem-Jan; Liu, H.W.

    Modern consumers increasingly embrace the personalization of services. Whether to disclose private information to companies for the sake of receiving personalized service is largely contingent to relative valuations and the utility of private information. Unfortunately, there is a lack of balanced

  18. Growing complexity of (expanded) carrier screening: Direct-to-consumer, physician-mediated, and clinic-based offers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chokoshvili, Davit; Vears, Danya F; Borry, Pascal

    2017-10-01

    Since the introduction of out-of-hospital health-related genetic tests more than a decade ago, the landscape of genetic testing services has grown in complexity. Although initially most genetic tests for health purposes were offered as direct-to-consumer services, that is, without the mediation of a medical professional, currently many commercial providers require that their tests be ordered by a licensed physician. At the same time, some commercially developed health-related genetic tests are gaining support from the professional medical community and are finding their way into clinical practice. Therefore, we differentiated between three types of genetic testing offers: direct-to-consumer, physician-mediated, and clinic-based genetic testing. Expanded carrier screening tests for recessive disorders are currently available through all the three models of genetic testing. Herein, we review the present landscape of expanded carrier screening offers by highlighting the distinct issues associated with each of the three types of genetic testing. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  19. Current Challenge in Consumer Health Informatics: Bridging the Gap between Access to Information and Information Understanding

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laurence Alpay

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available The number of health-related websites has proliferated over the past few years. Health information consumers confront a myriad of health related resources on the internet that have varying levels of quality and are not always easy to comprehend. There is thus a need to help health information consumers to bridge the gap between access to information and information understanding—i.e. to help consumers understand health related web-based resources so that they can act upon it. At the same time health information consumers are becoming not only more involved in their own health care but also more information technology minded. One way to address this issue is to provide consumers with tailored information that is contextualized and personalized e.g. directly relevant and easily comprehensible to the person’s own health situation. This paper presents a current trend in Consumer Health Informatics which focuses on theory-based design and development of contextualized and personalized tools to allow the evolving consumer with varying backgrounds and interests to use online health information efficiently. The proposed approach uses a theoretical framework of communication in order to support the consumer’s capacity to understand health-related web-based resources.

  20. Facilitating consumer access to health information.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Snowdon, Anne; Schnarr, Karin; Alessi, Charles

    2014-01-01

    The lead paper from Zelmer and Hagens details the substantive evolution occurring in health information technologies that has the potential to transform the relationship between consumers, health practitioners and health systems. In this commentary, the authors suggest that Canada is experiencing a shift in consumer behaviour toward a desire to actively manage one's health and wellness that is being facilitated through the advent of health applications on mobile and online technologies platforms. The result is that Canadians are now able to create personalized health solutions based on their individual health values and goals. However, before Canadians are able to derive a personal health benefit from these rapid changes in information technology, they require and are increasingly demanding greater real-time access to their own health information to better inform decision-making, as well as interoperability between their personal health tracking systems and those of their health practitioner team.

  1. Striving for quality use of medicines: how effective is Australia's ban on direct-to-consumer prescription medicine advertising?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Sonja

    2009-02-01

    The potential for both positive and negative effects arising from direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription medicines challenges health policymakers to develop regulatory schemes which selectively capture the positive aspects of the practice. Australia has dealt with this quandary by banning the practice, while New Zealand and the United States permit it. However, in recent times pharmaceutical companies have been increasingly successful in introducing promotional materials into the Australian market. This article demonstrates that the Australian ban is consistent with striving for the major policy goal of quality use of medicines, thus providing the basis for arguing that solutions to strengthen the ban against the identified threats ought to be implemented. Quality use of medicines can be most effectively achieved via the combined effect of the strengthened ban and the mimicking of the limited positive aspects of direct-to-consumer advertising by government provision of non-promotional information to consumers.

  2. Resveratrol and health from a consumer perspective

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Aschemann-Witzel, Jessica; Grunert, Klaus G

    2015-01-01

    Resveratrol is an ingredient widely researched, with growing evidence of health-promoting effects. However, the reactions of supplement or food consumers to resveratrol has not been researched, and the ingredient is yet unknown to most consumers. We used respective literature and our own...... resveratrol consumer studies with Danish and U.S. consumers to look at current findings and future research directions for three questions. (1)Which factors determine consumer interest in a yet unknown functional ingredient such as resveratrol? (2)Howshould resveratrol bemarketed as a new functional...... ingredient to be understood and favorably perceived? (3) What could be the effects of adoption of an ingredient such as resveratrol on the healthy lifestyle of a consumer? Literature and first results indicate that personal relevance and familiarity are crucial factors; however, consumers show little...

  3. A health economic model for the development and evaluation of innovations in aged care: an application to consumer-directed care-study protocol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ratcliffe, Julie; Lancsar, Emily; Luszcz, Mary; Crotty, Maria; Gray, Len; Paterson, Jan; Cameron, Ian D

    2014-06-25

    Consumer-directed care is currently being embraced within Australia and internationally as a means of promoting autonomy and choice in the delivery of health and aged care services. Despite its wide proliferation little research has been conducted to date to assess the views and preferences of older people for consumer-directed care or to assess the costs and benefits of such an approach relative to existing models of service delivery. A comprehensive health economic model will be developed and applied to the evolution, implementation and evaluation of consumer-directed care in an Australian community aged care setting. A mixed methods approach comprising qualitative interviews and a discrete choice experiment will determine the attitudes and preferences of older people and their informal carers for consumer-directed care. The results of the qualitative interviews and the discrete choice experiment will inform the introduction of a new consumer-directed care innovation in service delivery. The cost-effectiveness of consumer-directed care will be evaluated by comparing incremental changes in resource use, costs and health and quality of life outcomes relative to traditional services. The discrete choice experiment will be repeated at the end of the implementation period to determine the extent to which attitudes and preferences change as a consequence of experience of consumer-directed care. The proposed framework will have wide applicability in the future development and economic evaluation of new innovations across the health and aged care sectors. The study is approved by Flinders University Social and Behavioural Research Ethics Committee (Project No. 6114/SBREC). Findings from the qualitative interviews, discrete choice experiments and the economic evaluation will be reported at a workshop of stakeholders to be held in 2015 and will be documented in reports and in peer reviewed journal articles. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to

  4. Comprehension and Data-Sharing Behavior of Direct-To-Consumer Genetic Test Customers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McGrath, Scott P; Coleman, Jason; Najjar, Lotfollah; Fruhling, Ann; Bastola, Dhundy R

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate current direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic customers' ability to interpret and comprehend test results and to determine if honest brokers are needed. One hundred and twenty-two customers of the DTC genetic testing company 23andMe were polled in an online survey. The subjects were asked about their personal test results and to interpret the results of two mock test cases (type 2 diabetes and multiple sclerosis), where results were translated into disease probability for an individual compared to the public. When asked to evaluate the risk, 72.1% correctly assessed the first case and 77% were correct on the second case. Only 23.8% of those surveyed were able to interpret both cases correctly. x03C7;2 and logistic regression were used to interpret the results. Participants who took the time to read the DTC test-provided supplemental material were 3.93 times (p = 0.040) more likely to correctly interpret the test results than those who did not. The odds for correctly interpreting the test cases were 3.289 times (p = 0.011) higher for those who made more than USD 50,000 than those who made less. Survey results were compared to the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) phase 4 cycle 3 data to evaluate national trends. Most of the subjects were able to correctly interpret the test cases, yet a majority did not share their results with a health-care professional. As the market for DTC genetic testing grows, test comprehension will become more critical. Involving more health professionals in this process may be necessary to ensure proper interpretations. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  5. Trouble Spots in Online Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Promotion: Teaching Drug Marketers How to Inform Better or Spin Better?; Comment on “Trouble Spots in Online Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Promotion: A Content Analysis of FDA Warning Letters”

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Evan Doran

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Hyosun Kim’s report “Trouble Spots in Online Direct to Consumer Prescription Drug Promotion: A content Analysis of FDA Warning Letters”aims to teach marketers how to avoid breaching current Food and Drug Administration (FDA guidelines in their online drug promotion. While Kim hopes to minimise the potential for online promotion to misinform consumers and the study is carefully conducted, teaching drug marketers how to avoid the common mistakes in online drug promotion is more likely to make marketers more adept at spinning information than appropriately balancing it.

  6. Using Genome Sequence to Enable the Design of Medicines and Chemical Probes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Angelbello, Alicia J; Chen, Jonathan L; Childs-Disney, Jessica L; Zhang, Peiyuan; Wang, Zi-Fu; Disney, Matthew D

    2018-02-28

    Rapid progress in genome sequencing technology has put us firmly into a postgenomic era. A key challenge in biomedical research is harnessing genome sequence to fulfill the promise of personalized medicine. This Review describes how genome sequencing has enabled the identification of disease-causing biomolecules and how these data have been converted into chemical probes of function, preclinical lead modalities, and ultimately U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs. In particular, we focus on the use of oligonucleotide-based modalities to target disease-causing RNAs; small molecules that target DNA, RNA, or protein; the rational repurposing of known therapeutic modalities; and the advantages of pharmacogenetics. Lastly, we discuss the remaining challenges and opportunities in the direct utilization of genome sequence to enable design of medicines.

  7. Direct-to-Consumer Marketing of Cigar Products in the United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ganz, Ollie; Teplitskaya, Lyubov; Cantrell, Jennifer; Hair, Elizabeth C; Vallone, Donna

    2016-05-01

    Although cigar use and sales have increased in the United States over the past decade, little is known about how these products are promoted. Direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising is a common method used to promote tobacco products and may be a potential channel through which cigars are advertised. Comperemedia (Mintel) was used to acquire opt-in direct mail and email advertising for the top 10 cigar brands in the United States between January 2013 and July 2014. The advertisement and corresponding data on brand, advertising spend, and mail volume were downloaded and summarized. Promotions such as coupons, giveaways, and sweepstakes were also examined. A total of 92 unique advertisements met the search criteria and included two brands: Black & Mild (n = 77) and Swisher Sweets (n = 15). Expenditures on direct mail advertising during this period totaled $12 809 630. Black & Mild encompassed 80% of total direct mail volume and 78% of direct mail advertising expenditures. Almost all advertisements contained at least one promotion (88%) and included a URL to the product website (85%). The results suggest that Black & Mild and Swisher Sweets are the primary cigar brands using DTC advertising. Promotional offers were nearly ubiquitous among the advertisements, which may appeal to price-sensitive populations. Future studies should continue to examine cigar advertising via direct mail and email, in addition to other channels, such as the point-of-sale. Although cigar use and sales have increased in the United States over the past decade, there is limited data on cigar advertising. This article provides a snapshot of expenditures, volume, and promotional content of DTC cigar advertising in the United States between January 2013 and July 2014. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  8. A systematic narrative review of consumer-directed care for older people: implications for model development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ottmann, Goetz; Allen, Jacqui; Feldman, Peter

    2013-11-01

    Consumer-directed care is increasingly becoming a mainstream option in community-based aged care. However, a systematic review describing how the current evaluation research translates into practise has not been published to date. This review aimed to systematically establish an evidence base of user preferences for and satisfaction with services associated with consumer-directed care programmes for older people. Twelve databases were searched, including MedLine, BioMed Central, Cinahl, Expanded Academic ASAP, PsychInfo, ProQuest, Age Line, Science Direct, Social Citation Index, Sociological Abstracts, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library. Google Scholar and Google were also searched. Eligible studies were those reporting on choice, user preferences and service satisfaction outcomes regarding a programme or model of home-based care in the United States or United Kingdom. This systematic narrative review retrieved literature published from January 1992 to August 2011. A total of 277 references were identified. Of these 17 met the selection criteria and were reviewed. Findings indicate that older people report varying preferences for consumer-directed care with some demonstrating limited interest. Clients and carers reported good service satisfaction. However, research comparing user preferences across countries or investigating how ecological factors shape user preferences has received limited attention. Policy-makers and practitioners need to carefully consider the diverse contexts, needs and preferences of older adults in adopting consumer-directed care approaches in community aged care. The review calls for the development of consumer-directed care programmes offering a broad range of options that allow for personalisation and greater control over services without necessarily transferring the responsibility for administrative responsibilities to service users. Review findings suggest that consumer-directed care approaches have the potential to empower older

  9. Problem of data privacy protection in direct marketing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Markov Jasmina

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available The dynamism of modern business conditions, as well as increasing competition, call for companies to change their usual ways of doing business and communicating with consumers. Therefore, today's direct marketing industry is experiencing explosive growth, as more and more companies include these activities in their communication mix. Many companies benefit from the development and usage of direct marketing, but at the same time, its growing usage led to numerous problems for companies as well as for the consumers. Direct marketing, advanced information technologies and Internet, on whose use it is more and more based, caused a number of legal and ethical questions without precedent. One of the issues that is making consumers more and more worried is concerning the privacy of their personal data and information which is being collected by a large number of companies. In addition, consumers are often not aware of this data collecting, which is adding even more gravity to this problem. The remainder of this paper will point to the necessity and great importance of careful and responsible use of consumer's personal data by direct marketers, with the aim of build long-term partnership relationships between the two. In addition, special attention will be paid to major problems that consumers face today in the field of data protection, as well as to the efforts committed in order to bring these problems to a minimum by getting consumers more involved in making decisions about usage of their personal data and information.

  10. Direct-to-consumer advertising of COX-2 inhibitors: effect on appropriateness of prescribing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spence, Michele M; Teleki, Stephanie S; Cheetham, T Craig; Schweitzer, Stuart O; Millares, Mirta

    2005-10-01

    Spending on direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription drugs has increased dramatically in the past several years. An unresolved question is whether such advertising leads to inappropriate prescribing. In this study, the authors use survey and administrative data to determine the association of DTCA with the appropriate prescribing of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors for 1,382 patients. Treatment with either a COX-2 or a traditional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) was defined as appropriate or not according to three different definitions of gastrointestinal risk. Patients who saw or heard a COX-2 advertisement and asked their physician about the advertised drug were significantly more likely to be prescribed a COX-2 (versus a NSAID, as recommended by evidence-based guidelines) than all other patients. Findings also suggest that some patients may benefit from DTCA. The authors discuss the need for balanced drug information for consumers, increased physician vigilance in prescribing appropriately, and further study of DTCA.

  11. What are the public health effects of direct-to-consumer drug advertising?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elizabeth A Almasi

    2006-03-01

    Full Text Available Only two industrialized countries, the United States and New Zealand, allow direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA of prescription medicines, although New Zealand is planning a ban. The challenge for these governments is ensuring that DTCA is more beneficial than harmful. Proponents of DTCA argue that it helps to inform the public about available treatments and stimulates appropriate use of drugs for high-priority illnesses (such as statin use in people with ischemic heart disease. Critics argue that the information in the adverts is often biased and misleading, and that DTCA raises prescribing costs without net evidence of health benefits.

  12. What are the public health effects of direct-to-consumer drug advertising?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Almasi, Elizabeth A; Stafford, Randall S; Kravitz, Richard L; Mansfield, Peter R

    2006-03-01

    Only two industrialized countries, the United States and New Zealand, allow direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription medicines, although New Zealand is planning a ban. The challenge for these governments is ensuring that DTCA is more beneficial than harmful. Proponents of DTCA argue that it helps to inform the public about available treatments and stimulates appropriate use of drugs for high-priority illnesses (such as statin use in people with ischemic heart disease). Critics argue that the information in the adverts is often biased and misleading, and that DTCA raises prescribing costs without net evidence of health benefits.

  13. Methodological challenges surrounding direct-to-consumer advertising research--the measurement conundrum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hansen, Richard A; Droege, Marcus

    2005-06-01

    Numerous studies have focused on the impact of direct-to-consumer (DTC) prescription drug advertising on consumer behavior and health outcomes. These studies have used various approaches to assess exposure to prescription drug advertising and to measure the subsequent effects of such advertisements. The objectives of this article are to (1) discuss measurement challenges involved in DTC advertising research, (2) summarize measurement approaches commonly identified in the literature, and (3) discuss contamination, time to action, and endogeneity as specific problems in measurement design and application. We conducted a review of the professional literature to identify illustrative approaches to advertising measurement. Specifically, our review of the literature focused on measurement of DTC advertising exposure and effect. We used the hierarchy-of-effects model to guide our discussion of processing and communication effects. Other effects were characterized as target audience action, sales, market share, and profit. Overall, existing studies have used a variety of approaches to measure advertising exposure and effect, yet the ability of measures to produce a valid and reliable understanding of the effects of DTC advertising can be improved. Our review provides a framework for conceptualizing DTC measurement, and can be used to identify gaps in the literature not sufficiently addressed by existing measures. Researchers should continue to explore correlations between exposure and effect of DTC advertising, but are obliged to improve and validate measurement in this area.

  14. Seniors' uncertainty management of direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising usefulness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeLorme, Denise E; Huh, Jisu

    2009-09-01

    This study provides insight into seniors' perceptions of and responses to direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising (DTCA) usefulness, examines support for DTCA regulation as a type of uncertainty management, and extends and gives empirical voice to previous survey results through methodological triangulation. In-depth interview findings revealed that, for most informants, DTCA usefulness was uncertain and this uncertainty stemmed from 4 sources. The majority had negative responses to DTCA uncertainty and relied on 2 uncertainty-management strategies: information seeking from physicians, and inferences of and support for some government regulation of DTCA. Overall, the findings demonstrate the viability of uncertainty management theory (Brashers, 2001, 2007) for mass-mediated health communication, specifically DTCA. The article concludes with practical implications and research recommendations.

  15. Changing public perceptions of genetically modified foods: Effects of consumer information and direct product experience

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Scholderer, Joachim; Bech-Larsen, Tino; Grunert, Klaus G.

    and values. Two policies can be adopted in such a situation: (a) consumers can be actively informed regarding the risks and benefits and (b) consumers can be given the opportunity to evaluate products on the basis of direct experience. The effectiveness of both policies was tested in two experiments....... In experiment 1, attitude change experiments were conducted with consumers from Denmark, Germany, Italy and the UK (N=1650). Different information strategies were tested against a control group for their ability to change consumers' attitudes and their influence on product choice. Results indicate...... that no attitude change occured. Instead, all stategies seemed to bolster pre-existing attitudes, thereby significantly decreasing consumers' preferences for GM products. The effect did not occur when consumers only saw a labeled product example. In experiment 2, we tested the effects of direct experience...

  16. The effect of direct-to-consumer advertising on prescription drug use by older adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Datti, Balaji; Carter, Mary W

    2006-01-01

    Although older adults are frequent consumers of prescription drugs and increasingly the intended audience of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) marketing efforts, little is known about the effect of DTCA on older adults' prescription drug-seeking behaviour. In response, the objective of this study is to examine factors associated with requesting a prescription drug from a physician following exposure to DTCA among older adults, and whether the drug or other medical treatment was prescribed during the encounter. A secondary data analysis of the "Public Health Impact of Direct-to-Consumer Advertising of Prescription Drugs", a data set publicly available through the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR 3687), was conducted. For the purposes of this study, only those respondents who indicated that they had been exposed to DTCA (n = 2601) were included in the study sample. Using a two-step weighted logistic regression approach, separate models were estimated to examine first, whether a request for the advertised drug was made following exposure to DTCA and secondly, the outcomes of any patient-physician encounters that occurred following exposure to DTCA. Descriptive analysis of the outcome variables revealed that, among respondents exposed to DTCA, 31% (n = 801) requested a prescription drug from their physician. Approximately 5% of those who made a request were > or =75 years of age. Among respondents requesting a prescription drug, 69% (n = 556) received a prescription in response to their request, of whom, approximately 5% were > or =75 years of age. Multivariate findings suggest that although adults > or =75 years of age are less likely to request a prescription drug following exposure to DTCA (odds ratio [OR] = 0.58; p = 0.032), when they do approach their physicians, they are more likely to receive recommendations for further treatment, with ORs indicating a 250% (OR = 3.507; p = 0.002) increase in the odds of further referral

  17. Personal and Ecological Factors in the Seeking of Assistance When Making Consumer Decisions: A Social Comparison Interpretation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Duane I.

    Failure to establish a strong relationship between attitudes and buying behavior may indicate that the personality-consumer behavior link is mediated by some social mechanism, such as differential propensities toward advice-seeking. Undergraduates (N=75) completed two measures of attitudes, a questionnaire consisting of 10 consumer decisions and…

  18. Replacement of meat by meat substitutes. A survey on person- and product-related factors in consumer acceptance

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hoek, A.C.; Luning, P.A.; Weijzen, P.; Engels, W.; Kok, F.J.; Graaf, de C.

    2011-01-01

    What does it take to increase the consumption of meat substitutes and attract new consumers? We identified main barriers and drivers by a consumer survey (n = 553) in the U.K. and the Netherlands. Person-related factors (food neophobia and food choice motives) and product-related attitudes and

  19. Bacillus cereus in personal care products: risk to consumers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pitt, T L; McClure, J; Parker, M D; Amézquita, A; McClure, P J

    2015-04-01

    Bacillus cereus is ubiquitous in nature and thus occurs naturally in a wide range of raw materials and foodstuffs. B. cereus spores are resistant to desiccation and heat and able to survive dry storage and cooking. Vegetative cells produce several toxins which on ingestion in sufficient numbers can cause vomiting and/or diarrhoea depending on the toxins produced. Gastrointestinal disease is commonly associated with reheated or inadequately cooked foods. In addition to being a rare cause of several acute infections (e.g. pneumonia and septicaemia), B. cereus can also cause localized infection of post-surgical or trauma wounds and is a rare but significant pathogen of the eye where it may result in severe endophthalmitis often leading to loss of vision. Key risk factors in such cases are trauma to the eye and retained contaminated intraocular foreign bodies. In addition, rare cases of B. cereus-associated keratitis (inflammation of the cornea) have been linked to contact lens use. Bacillus cereus is therefore a microbial contaminant that could adversely affect product safety of cosmetic and facial toiletries and pose a threat to the user if other key risk factors are also present. The infective dose in the human eye is unknown, but as few as 100 cfu has been reported to initiate infection in a susceptible animal model. However, we are not aware of any reports in the literature of B. cereus infections in any body site linked with use of personal care products. Low levels of B. cereus spores may on occasion be present in near-eye cosmetics, and these products have been used by consumers for many years. In addition, exposure to B. cereus is more likely to occur through other routes (e.g. dustborne contamination) due to its ubiquity and resistance properties of spores. The organism has been recovered from the eyes of healthy individuals. Therefore, although there may be a perceived hazard, the risk of severe eye infections as a consequence of exposure through

  20. ATTITUDES OF THE CONSUMERS REGARDING THEIR PERSONAL DATA: WHAT HAS CHANGED UNDER THE RECENT YEARS?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dugulan Diana

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available The historical roots of the debates regarding the privacy are to be found in the conclusion issued, at the end of the 19th century, by the Pacific Railway Commission (1887, on the essential, for the citizen’s peace and happiness, “right of personal security”, and the individual’s “right to be left alone”, approached and explained by Louis Brandies (1890. Since then, many definitions have been given aiming to explain the content of privacy from different angles but all these attempts were rather difficult and succeeded to clarify things only partially, due to the various perspectives considered. The information age has made even more difficult not only the definition of privacy, but its defense in front of the many invading ways based mainly on the internet employment. From a marketing perspective, the definition of privacy should focus on the personal data regarding the consumers, the extent to what this data is communicated to or is collected by others, and the subsequent data treatment, in terms of the processing and employment, by the entities managing this information. In this context, the privacy should be considered in connection with its particular area of application – the consumer’s private space – described by the amount of information regarding the demographics, psychographics and behavioral characteristics of the individuals, and the rights they should have to disclose or not their personal data, and to have this data protected through the appropriate laws and means. The paper aims to assess, in a longitudinal approach, the attitudes of the consumers, and the specific differences, regarding their personal data in terms of their disclosure, the previous consent the consumers should express to the companies or public entities collecting them, and capturing, processing, and further employment by the companies, based on the primary data collected in two surveys conducted in

  1. How important is local food to organic-minded consumers?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hempel, Corinna; Hamm, Ulrich

    2016-01-01

    The study deals with German consumers' attitudes towards organic food and local food, their food purchase behaviour and their personal characteristics. The purpose is to investigate the differences in attitudes and willingness-to-pay values between consumers who consider the organic production of food (very) important and those who consider it less important. This study combines a consumer survey with an in-store, discrete choice experiment. In the analysis, findings from the consumer survey were related to the choices made by consumers in the experiment. Consumers' preferences and willingness-to-pay values were estimated through random parameter logit modelling. Organic-minded consumers (i.e. those who regarded organic food production as (very) important in the survey) have stronger preferences and estimated willingness-to-pay values for organic as well as local products. Locally produced food, as opposed to food from neighbouring countries or non-EU countries, is preferred over organically produced food by both consumer groups which demonstrates that organic-minded consumers do not only consider organic food production as important, but also value local food production in a purchase situation. Hence, it can be assumed that local food production complements organic food production for the group of organic-minded consumers. This contribution is the first study dealing with local and organic food purchase behaviour in Germany that examines four different products and is carried out in rural as well as urban locations in four different regions. Due to the application of a choice experiment including no-choice options and binding purchase decisions, the results are expected to be closer to real purchase situations than results of direct questioning and choice experiments in online applications. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. The Personal Genome Project Canada: findings from whole genome sequences of the inaugural 56 participants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reuter, Miriam S; Walker, Susan; Thiruvahindrapuram, Bhooma; Whitney, Joe; Cohn, Iris; Sondheimer, Neal; Yuen, Ryan K C; Trost, Brett; Paton, Tara A; Pereira, Sergio L; Herbrick, Jo-Anne; Wintle, Richard F; Merico, Daniele; Howe, Jennifer; MacDonald, Jeffrey R; Lu, Chao; Nalpathamkalam, Thomas; Sung, Wilson W L; Wang, Zhuozhi; Patel, Rohan V; Pellecchia, Giovanna; Wei, John; Strug, Lisa J; Bell, Sherilyn; Kellam, Barbara; Mahtani, Melanie M; Bassett, Anne S; Bombard, Yvonne; Weksberg, Rosanna; Shuman, Cheryl; Cohn, Ronald D; Stavropoulos, Dimitri J; Bowdin, Sarah; Hildebrandt, Matthew R; Wei, Wei; Romm, Asli; Pasceri, Peter; Ellis, James; Ray, Peter; Meyn, M Stephen; Monfared, Nasim; Hosseini, S Mohsen; Joseph-George, Ann M; Keeley, Fred W; Cook, Ryan A; Fiume, Marc; Lee, Hin C; Marshall, Christian R; Davies, Jill; Hazell, Allison; Buchanan, Janet A; Szego, Michael J; Scherer, Stephen W

    2018-02-05

    The Personal Genome Project Canada is a comprehensive public data resource that integrates whole genome sequencing data and health information. We describe genomic variation identified in the initial recruitment cohort of 56 volunteers. Volunteers were screened for eligibility and provided informed consent for open data sharing. Using blood DNA, we performed whole genome sequencing and identified all possible classes of DNA variants. A genetic counsellor explained the implication of the results to each participant. Whole genome sequencing of the first 56 participants identified 207 662 805 sequence variants and 27 494 copy number variations. We analyzed a prioritized disease-associated data set ( n = 1606 variants) according to standardized guidelines, and interpreted 19 variants in 14 participants (25%) as having obvious health implications. Six of these variants (e.g., in BRCA1 or mosaic loss of an X chromosome) were pathogenic or likely pathogenic. Seven were risk factors for cancer, cardiovascular or neurobehavioural conditions. Four other variants - associated with cancer, cardiac or neurodegenerative phenotypes - remained of uncertain significance because of discrepancies among databases. We also identified a large structural chromosome aberration and a likely pathogenic mitochondrial variant. There were 172 recessive disease alleles (e.g., 5 individuals carried mutations for cystic fibrosis). Pharmacogenomics analyses revealed another 3.9 potentially relevant genotypes per individual. Our analyses identified a spectrum of genetic variants with potential health impact in 25% of participants. When also considering recessive alleles and variants with potential pharmacologic relevance, all 56 participants had medically relevant findings. Although access is mostly limited to research, whole genome sequencing can provide specific and novel information with the potential of major impact for health care. © 2018 Joule Inc. or its licensors.

  3. Genome-wide association study of antisocial personality disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rautiainen, M-R; Paunio, T; Repo-Tiihonen, E; Virkkunen, M; Ollila, H M; Sulkava, S; Jolanki, O; Palotie, A; Tiihonen, J

    2016-09-06

    The pathophysiology of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) remains unclear. Although the most consistent biological finding is reduced grey matter volume in the frontal cortex, about 50% of the total liability to developing ASPD has been attributed to genetic factors. The contributing genes remain largely unknown. Therefore, we sought to study the genetic background of ASPD. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) and a replication analysis of Finnish criminal offenders fulfilling DSM-IV criteria for ASPD (N=370, N=5850 for controls, GWAS; N=173, N=3766 for controls and replication sample). The GWAS resulted in suggestive associations of two clusters of single-nucleotide polymorphisms at 6p21.2 and at 6p21.32 at the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region. Imputation of HLA alleles revealed an independent association with DRB1*01:01 (odds ratio (OR)=2.19 (1.53-3.14), P=1.9 × 10(-5)). Two polymorphisms at 6p21.2 LINC00951-LRFN2 gene region were replicated in a separate data set, and rs4714329 reached genome-wide significance (OR=1.59 (1.37-1.85), P=1.6 × 10(-9)) in the meta-analysis. The risk allele also associated with antisocial features in the general population conditioned for severe problems in childhood family (β=0.68, P=0.012). Functional analysis in brain tissue in open access GTEx and Braineac databases revealed eQTL associations of rs4714329 with LINC00951 and LRFN2 in cerebellum. In humans, LINC00951 and LRFN2 are both expressed in the brain, especially in the frontal cortex, which is intriguing considering the role of the frontal cortex in behavior and the neuroanatomical findings of reduced gray matter volume in ASPD. To our knowledge, this is the first study showing genome-wide significant and replicable findings on genetic variants associated with any personality disorder.

  4. Genome-wide association study of antisocial personality disorder

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rautiainen, M-R; Paunio, T; Repo-Tiihonen, E; Virkkunen, M; Ollila, H M; Sulkava, S; Jolanki, O; Palotie, A; Tiihonen, J

    2016-01-01

    The pathophysiology of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) remains unclear. Although the most consistent biological finding is reduced grey matter volume in the frontal cortex, about 50% of the total liability to developing ASPD has been attributed to genetic factors. The contributing genes remain largely unknown. Therefore, we sought to study the genetic background of ASPD. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) and a replication analysis of Finnish criminal offenders fulfilling DSM-IV criteria for ASPD (N=370, N=5850 for controls, GWAS; N=173, N=3766 for controls and replication sample). The GWAS resulted in suggestive associations of two clusters of single-nucleotide polymorphisms at 6p21.2 and at 6p21.32 at the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region. Imputation of HLA alleles revealed an independent association with DRB1*01:01 (odds ratio (OR)=2.19 (1.53–3.14), P=1.9 × 10-5). Two polymorphisms at 6p21.2 LINC00951–LRFN2 gene region were replicated in a separate data set, and rs4714329 reached genome-wide significance (OR=1.59 (1.37–1.85), P=1.6 × 10−9) in the meta-analysis. The risk allele also associated with antisocial features in the general population conditioned for severe problems in childhood family (β=0.68, P=0.012). Functional analysis in brain tissue in open access GTEx and Braineac databases revealed eQTL associations of rs4714329 with LINC00951 and LRFN2 in cerebellum. In humans, LINC00951 and LRFN2 are both expressed in the brain, especially in the frontal cortex, which is intriguing considering the role of the frontal cortex in behavior and the neuroanatomical findings of reduced gray matter volume in ASPD. To our knowledge, this is the first study showing genome-wide significant and replicable findings on genetic variants associated with any personality disorder. PMID:27598967

  5. Using direct-to-consumer marketing strategies with obsessive-compulsive disorder in the nonprofit sector.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Szymanski, Jeff

    2012-06-01

    Three to four million individuals struggle with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in the United States at any given time. OCD can be a debilitating disorder associated with significant quality-of-life and occupational impairment. First-line treatments for OCD (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and exposure and response prevention therapy) have been shown to be effective; yet, many individuals suffering from OCD experience multiple barriers to accessing these treatments. In fact, it can take as many as 17 years from onset of symptoms to effective treatment. Given the need to increase access to and utilization of effective treatments, direct-to-consumer marketing in the context of OCD appears crucial. The International OCD Foundation (formerly the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation) was established as a nonprofit organization with a mission to educate the public and mental health professionals about appropriate practice guidelines, raise awareness of the disorder, and ensure that individuals looking for treatment find the necessary resources. This paper reviews the obstacles those struggling with OCD face in their attempts to alleviate suffering, as well as the direct-to-consumer strategies and tactics used by the International OCD Foundation to improve access to empirically supported, effective treatment. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  6. Personalized Whole-Cell Kinetic Models of Metabolism for Discovery in Genomics and Pharmacodynamics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bordbar, Aarash; McCloskey, Douglas; Zielinski, Daniel C

    2015-01-01

    Understanding individual variation is fundamental to personalized medicine. Yet interpreting complex phenotype data, such as multi-compartment metabolomic profiles, in the context of genotype data for an individual is complicated by interactions within and between cells and remains an unresolved...... challenge. Here, we constructed multi-omic, data-driven, personalized whole-cell kinetic models of erythrocyte metabolism for 24 healthy individuals based on fasting-state plasma and erythrocyte metabolomics and whole-genome genotyping. We show that personalized kinetic rate constants, rather than...

  7. The perspective from EASAC and FEAM on direct-to-consumer genetic testing for health-related purposes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fears, R.; Boccia, S.; Cornel, M.C.; Delpech, M.; Estivill, X.; Hansson, M.; Karalis, K.; Metspalu, A.; Nothen, M.; Propping, P.; Sequeiros, J.; Zimmem, R.; ter Meulen, V.

    2013-01-01

    Direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing services raise scientific, regulatory and ethical questions. A report was prepared by consultation with an expert Working Group and published by the academies of science (European Academies of Science Advisory Council, EASAC) and medicine (Federation of

  8. Digital Direct-to-Consumer Advertising: A Perfect Storm of Rapid Evolution and Stagnant Regulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mackey, Tim K.

    2016-01-01

    The adoption and use of digital forms of direct-to-consumer advertising (also known as "eDTCA") is on the rise. At the same time, the universe of eDTCA is expanding, as technology on Internet-based platforms continues to evolve, from static websites, to social media, and nearly ubiquitous use of mobile devices. However, little is known about how this unique form of pharmaceutical marketing impacts consumer behavior, public health, and overall healthcare utilization. The study by Kim analyzing US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notices of violations (NOVs) and warning letters regarding online promotional activities takes us in the right direction, but study results raise as many questions as it does answers. Chief among these are unanswered concerns about the unique regulatory challenges posed by the "disruptive" qualities of eDTCA, and whether regulators have sufficient resources and oversight powers to proactively address potential violations. Further, the globalization of eDTCA via borderless Internet-based technologies raises larger concerns about the potential global impact of this form of health marketing unique to only the United States and New Zealand. Collectively, these challenges make it unlikely that regulatory science will be able to keep apace with the continued rapid evolution of eDTCA unless more creative policy solutions are explored. PMID:27239871

  9. Trouble Spots in Online Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Promotion: A Content Analysis of FDA Warning Letters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hyosun Kim

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Background For the purpose of understanding the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s concerns regarding online promotion of prescription drugs advertised directly to consumers, this study examines notices of violations (NOVs and warning letters issued by the FDA to pharmaceutical manufacturers. Methods The FDA’s warning letters and NOVs, which were issued to pharmaceutical companies over a 10-year period (2005 to 2014 regarding online promotional activities, were content-analyzed. Results Six violation categories were identified: risk information, efficacy information, indication information, product labeling, material information issues, and approval issues. The results reveal that approximately 95% of the alleged violations were found on branded drug websites, in online paid advertisements, and in online videos. Of the total 179 violations, the majority of the alleged violations were concerned with the lack of risk information and/or misrepresentation of efficacy information, suggesting that achieving a fair balance of benefit versus risk information is a major problem with regard to the direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA of prescription drugs. In addition, the character space limitations of online platforms, eg, sponsored links on search engines, pose challenges for pharmaceutical marketers with regard to adequately communicating important drug information, such as indication information, risk information, and product labeling. Conclusion Presenting drug information in a fair and balanced manner remains a major problem. Industry guidance should consider addressing visibility and accessibility of information in the web environment to help pharmaceutical marketers meet the requirements for direct-to-consumer promotion and to protect consumers from misleading drug information. Promotion via social media warrants further attention, as pharmaceutical manufacturers have already begun actively establishing a social media presence, and the

  10. Trouble Spots in Online Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Promotion: A Content Analysis of FDA Warning Letters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Hyosun

    2015-08-25

    For the purpose of understanding the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) concerns regarding online promotion of prescription drugs advertised directly to consumers, this study examines notices of violations (NOVs) and warning letters issued by the FDA to pharmaceutical manufacturers. The FDA's warning letters and NOVs, which were issued to pharmaceutical companies over a 10-year period (2005 to 2014) regarding online promotional activities, were content-analyzed. Six violation categories were identified: risk information, efficacy information, indication information, product labeling, material information issues, and approval issues. The results reveal that approximately 95% of the alleged violations were found on branded drug websites, in online paid advertisements, and in online videos. Of the total 179 violations, the majority of the alleged violations were concerned with the lack of risk information and/or misrepresentation of efficacy information, suggesting that achieving a fair balance of benefit versus risk information is a major problem with regard to the direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription drugs. In addition, the character space limitations of online platforms, eg, sponsored links on search engines, pose challenges for pharmaceutical marketers with regard to adequately communicating important drug information, such as indication information, risk information, and product labeling. Presenting drug information in a fair and balanced manner remains a major problem. Industry guidance should consider addressing visibility and accessibility of information in the web environment to help pharmaceutical marketers meet the requirements for direct-to-consumer promotion and to protect consumers from misleading drug information. Promotion via social media warrants further attention, as pharmaceutical manufacturers have already begun actively establishing a social media presence, and the FDA has thus begun to keep tabs on social media promotions of

  11. Spin your science into gold: direct to consumer marketing within social media platforms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Egilman, David; Druar, Nicholas M

    2012-01-01

    We describe the emerging issues related to warnings with respect to pharmaceutical company use of the internet as a vehicle for direct-to-consumer marketing (DTC) and market research. We describe the various techniques pharmaceutical companies have used to exploit this new communications medium which permits two way exchange of information. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not issued any specific regulations to control internet based misbranding. We describe some examples of the FDA's application of historic regulations to pharmaceutical company use of this new medium and suggest.

  12. Direct-to-consumer promotion of prescription drugs. Economic implications for patients, payers and providers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Findlay, S D

    2001-01-01

    Spending on outpatient prescription drugs in the US is accelerating rapidly. Although numerous factors are driving this trend, attention has recently focused on the role played by the marketing, promotion and advertising of pharmaceuticals, in particular direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising. In 1997, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a 'guidance' on such mass media promotion. The guidance altered existing FDA rules and effectively permitted pharmaceutical companies to promote prescription drugs on television and radio without giving detailed or even summary information on indications, efficacy or potential adverse effects. Since then, television commercials, in particular, and print advertisements in consumer magazines and newspapers have proliferated rapidly. Pharmaceutical companies spent $US1.8 billion on DTC advertising in 1999, a 40% increase over 1998. This spending in 1999 was heavily concentrated on about 50 drugs. Evidence is growing that DTC promotion of prescription drugs is: (i) alerting consumers to the existence of new drugs and the conditions they treat; (ii) increasing consumer demand for many drugs; (iii) contributing increasingly to the recent sharp increase in the number of prescriptions being dispensed; (iv) raising sales revenues; and, thus, (v) contributing to the higher pharmaceutical costs of health insurers, government and consumers. The public policy issues surrounding DTC advertisements centre on the following questions: (i) are the advertisements leading to the inappropriate clinical use of some drugs? (ii) are the advertisements inducing both consumers and physicians to choose more costly new brand-name drugs over less expensive, but equally effective, older brand or generic drugs? (iii) do television advertisements for prescription drugs contain a balanced amount of information on benefits versus potential adverse effects? and (iv) will the revenue benefits generated by DTC advertising cause pharmaceutical companies to

  13. Use of an aggregate exposure model to estimate consumer exposure to fragrance ingredients in personal care and cosmetic products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Safford, B; Api, A M; Barratt, C; Comiskey, D; Daly, E J; Ellis, G; McNamara, C; O'Mahony, C; Robison, S; Smith, B; Thomas, R; Tozer, S

    2015-08-01

    Ensuring the toxicological safety of fragrance ingredients used in personal care and cosmetic products is essential in product development and design, as well as in the regulatory compliance of the products. This requires an accurate estimation of consumer exposure which, in turn, requires an understanding of consumer habits and use of products. Where ingredients are used in multiple product types, it is important to take account of aggregate exposure in consumers using these products. This publication investigates the use of a newly developed probabilistic model, the Creme RIFM model, to estimate aggregate exposure to fragrance ingredients using the example of 2-phenylethanol (PEA). The output shown demonstrates the utility of the model in determining systemic and dermal exposure to fragrances from individual products, and aggregate exposure. The model provides valuable information not only for risk assessment, but also for risk management. It should be noted that data on the concentrations of PEA in products used in this article were obtained from limited sources and not the standard, industry wide surveys typically employed by the fragrance industry and are thus presented here to illustrate the output and utility of the newly developed model. They should not be considered an accurate representation of actual exposure to PEA. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Genetic horoscopes: is it all in the genes? Points for regulatory control of direct-to-consumer genetic testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patch, Christine; Sequeiros, Jorge; Cornel, Martina C

    2009-07-01

    The development of tests for genetic susceptibility to common complex diseases has raised concerns. These concerns relate to evaluation of the scientific and clinical validity and utility of the tests, quality assurance of laboratories and testing services, advice and protection for the consumer and the appropriate regulatory and policy response. How these concerns are interpreted and addressed is an ongoing debate. If the possibility of using the discoveries from genomic science to improve health is to be realised without losing public confidence, then improvements in the evaluation and mechanisms for control of supply of tests may be as important as the science itself.

  15. Message strategies in direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising: a content analysis using Taylor's six-segment message strategy wheel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsai, Wan-Hsiu Sunny; Lancaster, Alyse R

    2012-01-01

    This exploratory study applies Taylor's (1999) six-segment message strategy wheel to direct-to-consumer (DTC) pharmaceutical television commercials to understand message strategies adopted by pharmaceutical advertisers to persuade consumers. A convenience sample of 96 DTC commercial campaigns was analyzed. The results suggest that most DTC drug ads used a combination approach, providing consumers with medical and drug information while simultaneously appealing to the viewer's ego-related needs and desires. In contrast to ration and ego strategies, other approaches including routine, acute need, and social are relatively uncommon while sensory was the least common message strategy. Findings thus recognized the educational value of DTC commercials.

  16. Impact of Animated Spokes-Characters in Print Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Advertising: An Elaboration Likelihood Model Approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhutada, Nilesh S; Rollins, Brent L; Perri, Matthew

    2017-04-01

    A randomized, posttest-only online survey study of adult U.S. consumers determined the advertising effectiveness (attitude toward ad, brand, company, spokes-characters, attention paid to the ad, drug inquiry intention, and perceived product risk) of animated spokes-characters in print direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising of prescription drugs and the moderating effects of consumers' involvement. Consumers' responses (n = 490) were recorded for animated versus nonanimated (human) spokes-characters in a fictitious DTC ad. Guided by the elaboration likelihood model, data were analyzed using a 2 (spokes-character type: animated/human) × 2 (involvement: high/low) factorial multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA). The MANCOVA indicated significant main effects of spokes-character type and involvement on the dependent variables after controlling for covariate effects. Of the several ad effectiveness variables, consumers only differed on their attitude toward the spokes-characters between the two spokes-character types (specifically, more favorable attitudes toward the human spokes-character). Apart from perceived product risk, high-involvement consumers reacted more favorably to the remaining ad effectiveness variables compared to the low-involvement consumers, and exhibited significantly stronger drug inquiry intentions during their next doctor visit. Further, the moderating effect of consumers' involvement was not observed (nonsignificant interaction effect between spokes-character type and involvement).

  17. Job stress and job satisfaction: home care workers in a consumer-directed model of care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Delp, Linda; Wallace, Steven P; Geiger-Brown, Jeanne; Muntaner, Carles

    2010-08-01

    To investigate determinants of job satisfaction among home care workers in a consumer-directed model. Analysis of data collected from telephone interviews with 1,614 Los Angeles home care workers on the state payroll in 2003. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the odds of job satisfaction using job stress model domains of demands, control, and support. Abuse from consumers, unpaid overtime hours, and caring for more than one consumer as well as work-health demands predict less satisfaction. Some physical and emotional demands of the dyadic care relationship are unexpectedly associated with greater job satisfaction. Social support and control, indicated by job security and union involvement, have a direct positive effect on job satisfaction. Policies that enhance the relational component of care may improve workers' ability to transform the demands of their job into dignified and satisfying labor. Adequate benefits and sufficient authorized hours of care can minimize the stress of unpaid overtime work, caring for multiple consumers, job insecurity, and the financial constraints to seeking health care. Results have implications for the structure of consumer-directed models of care and efforts to retain long-term care workers.

  18. Consumer Opinions of Health Information Exchange, e-Prescribing, and Personal Health Records.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cochran, Gary L; Lander, Lina; Morien, Marsha; Lomelin, Daniel E; Brittin, Jeri; Reker, Celeste; Klepser, Donald G

    2015-01-01

    Consumer satisfaction is a crucial component of health information technology (HIT) utilization, as high satisfaction is expected to increase HIT utilization among providers and to allow consumers to become full participants in their own healthcare management. The primary objective of this pilot study was to identify consumer perspectives on health information technologies including health information exchange (HIE), e-prescribing (e-Rx), and personal health records (PHRs). Eight focus groups were conducted in seven towns and cities across Nebraska in 2013. Each group consisted of 10-12 participants. Discussions were organized topically in the following categories: HIE, e-Rx, and PHR. The qualitative analysis consisted of immersion and crystallization to develop a coding scheme that included both preconceived and emergent themes. Common themes across focus groups were identified and compiled for each discussion category. The study had 67 participants, of which 18 (27 percent) were male. Focus group findings revealed both perceived barriers and benefits to the adoption of HIT. Common HIT concerns expressed across focus groups included privacy and security of medical information, decreases in quality of care, inconsistent provider participation, and the potential cost of implementation. Positive expectations regarding HIT included better accuracy and completeness of information, and improved communication and coordination between healthcare providers. Improvements in patient care were expected as a result of easy physician access to consolidated information across providers as well as the speed of sharing and availability of information in an emergency. In addition, participants were optimistic about patient empowerment and convenient access to and control of personal health data. Consumer concerns focused on privacy and security of the health information, as well as the cost of implementing the technologies and the possibility of an unintended negative impact on the

  19. The cost-effectiveness of direct-to-consumer advertising for prescription drugs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Atherly, Adam; Rubin, Paul H

    2009-12-01

    In this paper we use published information to analyze the economic value of Direct to Consumer Advertising (DTCA). The reviewed research finds that DTCA leads to increased demand for the advertised drug and that the effect of the drug tends to be class-wide rather than product specific. There is weak evidence that DTCA may increase compliance and improve clinical outcomes. However, there is little research on the effect of DTCA on inappropriate prescribing or on the characteristics of patients who respond to treatment. On net, if the advertised drugs are cost effective on average and the patients using the drugs in response to the advertisement are similar to other users, DTCA is likely cost effective. Overall, the literature to date is consistent with the idea that DTCA is beneficial, but further research is needed before definitive conclusions can be drawn.

  20. Impact of a direct-to-consumer information campaign on prescription patterns for overactive bladder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zaitsu, Masayoshi; Yoo, Byung-Kwang; Tomio, Jun; Nakamura, Fumiaki; Toyokawa, Satoshi; Kobayashi, Yasuki

    2018-05-03

    Direct-to-consumer information (DTCI) campaign is a new medium to inform and empower patients in their decision-making without directly promoting specific drugs. However, little is known about the impact of DTCI campaigns, expanding rapidly in developed countries, on changes in prescription patterns. We sought to determine whether a DTCI campaign on overactive bladder increases the prescription rate for overactive bladder treatment drugs. We performed a 3-year retrospective cohort study of 1332 participants who were diagnosed overactive bladder but not prescribed treatment drugs prior to the examined DTCI campaign (exposure), using the health insurance claims dataset of the Japan Medical Data Center (November 19, 2010 to November 18, 2013). The DTCI campaign for overactive bladder included television, Internet, and print advertising (November 19, 2011 to December 22, 2011). We divided the study period into Pre-Campaign Year (2010-2011), Year 1 (2011-2012), and Year 2 (2012-2013). Each year began on November 19 and included Period 1 (weeks 1-5) through Period 10 (weeks 46-50). The main outcome was first-time prescription of the treatment drug for each patient, measured by 5-week periods. Using Period 10 in the Pre-Campaign Year as the referent period, we applied the Cox proportional hazard model for each period. Additionally, we performed the interrupted time series analysis (ITSA) for the first-time prescription rate per 5-week period. Following the DTCI campaign, patients were about seven times more likely to receive a first prescription of a treatment drug during Period 4 in Year 1 (hazard ratio 7.09; 95% CI, 2.11-23.8; p-valueimpact on the level of prescription rate (one-time increase in the regression-intercept) that increased by 1128.1 [per standardized 100,000 persons] (p < .05) during Period 4 in Year 1. The examined DTCI campaign appeared to increase the prescription rate among patients with overactive bladder for 15 weeks with a 15-week delay. Clinical

  1. Comparative Effectiveness Research, Genomics-Enabled Personalized Medicine, and Rapid Learning Health Care: A Common Bond

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ginsburg, Geoffrey S.; Kuderer, Nicole M.

    2012-01-01

    Despite stunning advances in our understanding of the genetics and the molecular basis for cancer, many patients with cancer are not yet receiving therapy tailored specifically to their tumor biology. The translation of these advances into clinical practice has been hindered, in part, by the lack of evidence for biomarkers supporting the personalized medicine approach. Most stakeholders agree that the translation of biomarkers into clinical care requires evidence of clinical utility. The highest level of evidence comes from randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs). However, in many instances, there may be no RCTs that are feasible for assessing the clinical utility of potentially valuable genomic biomarkers. In the absence of RCTs, evidence generation will require well-designed cohort studies for comparative effectiveness research (CER) that link detailed clinical information to tumor biology and genomic data. CER also uses systematic reviews, evidence-quality appraisal, and health outcomes research to provide a methodologic framework for assessing biologic patient subgroups. Rapid learning health care (RLHC) is a model in which diverse data are made available, ideally in a robust and real-time fashion, potentially facilitating CER and personalized medicine. Nonetheless, to realize the full potential of personalized care using RLHC requires advances in CER and biostatistics methodology and the development of interoperable informatics systems, which has been recognized by the National Cancer Institute's program for CER and personalized medicine. The integration of CER methodology and genomics linked to RLHC should enhance, expedite, and expand the evidence generation required for fully realizing personalized cancer care. PMID:23071236

  2. Trouble Spots in Online Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Promotion: Teaching Drug Marketers How to Inform Better or Spin Better?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doran, Evan

    2016-01-01

    Hyosun Kim’s report "Trouble Spots in Online Direct to Consumer Prescription Drug Promotion: A content Analysis of FDA Warning Letters" aims to teach marketers how to avoid breaching current Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines in their online drug promotion. While Kim hopes to minimise the potential for online promotion to misinform consumers and the study is carefully conducted, teaching drug marketers how to avoid the common mistakes in online drug promotion is more likely to make marketers more adept at spinning information than appropriately balancing it PMID:27239884

  3. RECONCEPTUALIZING CONSENT FOR DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER HEALTH SERVICES.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spector-Bagdady, Kayte

    2015-01-01

    The market for direct-to-consumer (DTC) health services continues to grow rapidly with former patients converting to customers for the opportunity to purchase varied diagnostic tests without the involvement of their clinician. For the first time a DTC genetic testing company is advertising health-related reports "that meet [Food and Drug Administration] standards for being clinically and scientifically valid." Ethicists and regulatory agencies alike have recognized the need for a more informed transaction in the DTC context, but how should we classify a commercial transaction for something normally protected by a duty of care? How can we assure informed agreements in an industry with terms and conditions as varied as the services performed? The doctrine of "informed consent" began as an ethical construct building on the promise of beneficence in the clinical relationship and elevating the principle of autonomy--but in the DTC context should we hold providers to legal standards of informed consent and associated medical malpractice liability, or contractual obligations where consumers would seek remedy for breach? This Article analyzes the fine balance that must be struck in an industry where companies are selling services for entertainment or non-medical purposes that possess the capacity to produce serious and disquieting medical information. It begins by reviewing current standards of consent in the clinical setting from both a legal and ethical perspective and then lays forth current standards for DTC consent using two currently controversial case studies: that of keepsake fetal ultrasound and genetic testing. DTC keepsake ultrasound and genetic testing providers attempt to de-medicalize the devices used for these procedures from their intended medical uses to non-medical uses. But while keepsake ultrasound is marketed as "intended for entertainment purposes only," it can provide medical information as an incidental finding. 23andMe currently purports to be the

  4. Still the Great Debate - "Fair Balance" in Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Advertising Comment on "Trouble Spots in Online Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Promotion: A Content Analysis of FDA Warning Letters".

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rollins, Brent L

    2016-02-10

    The above titled paper examined the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) warning letters and notice of violations (NOV) over a 10-year period. Findings from this content analysis reinforced what has been the primary issue for prescription direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) since its beginning, the fair balance of risk and benefit information. As opposed to another analysis in 2026 about this still being an issue, is there anything that can be done to prevent this problem from continuing? © 2016 by Kerman University of Medical Sciences.

  5. Digital Direct-to-Consumer Advertising: A Perfect Storm of Rapid Evolution and Stagnant Regulation Comment on "Trouble Spots in Online Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Promotion: A Content Analysis of FDA Warning Letters".

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mackey, Tim K

    2016-02-03

    The adoption and use of digital forms of direct-to-consumer advertising (also known as "eDTCA") is on the rise. At the same time, the universe of eDTCA is expanding, as technology on Internet-based platforms continues to evolve, from static websites, to social media, and nearly ubiquitous use of mobile devices. However, little is known about how this unique form of pharmaceutical marketing impacts consumer behavior, public health, and overall healthcare utilization. The study by Kim analyzing US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notices of violations (NOVs) and warning letters regarding online promotional activities takes us in the right direction, but study results raise as many questions as it does answers. Chief among these are unanswered concerns about the unique regulatory challenges posed by the "disruptive" qualities of eDTCA, and whether regulators have sufficient resources and oversight powers to proactively address potential violations. Further, the globalization of eDTCA via borderless Internet-based technologies raises larger concerns about the potential global impact of this form of health marketing unique to only the United States and New Zealand. Collectively, these challenges make it unlikely that regulatory science will be able to keep apace with the continued rapid evolution of eDTCA unless more creative policy solutions are explored. © 2016 by Kerman University of Medical Sciences.

  6. Consumer information or direct product experience? Alternative information policies and their effects on consumer acceptance of GM foods

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Scholderer, Joachim

    an informed purchase decision. Unfortunately, things are not that simple. Previous research has shown that Europeans already hold firm negative attitudes to GM foods. These attitudes are not based on risk-benefit evaluations of particular products. Rather, they seem to be a function of consumers? general......) consumers can be given the opportunity to evaluate GM products on the basis of direct experience, i.e. after the products have been launched. The first approach represents the transparency/precaution policy that was actually adopted in Europe, whilst the second one was dismissed after confrontations arose...... between different stakeholder groups in connection with Nestle's "Butterfinger" launch in 1998. Both approaches would have to compete against a strong network of pre-existing consumer attitudes, but surprisingly, neither of them has ever been experimentally tested on a broad scale. Two experiments...

  7. Effects of risk disclosure prominence in direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription drugs: An integrative cognitive process model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ju, Ilwoo; Park, Jin Seong

    2018-01-01

    The literature shows that the prominence of risk disclosure influences consumer responses to direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs. However, little is known about the psychological process whereby disclosure prominence exerts its influences on health beliefs and behavior. Based on a review of the literature on health cognition and behavior, the current study proposed and tested a model to show that risk disclosure prominence affects consumers' drug choice intention through the mediating roles of awareness of drug adverse reactions (ARs), perceived control over ARs, and perceived risk of ARs. The findings were discussed in terms of their theoretical and managerial implications.

  8. Bridging the gap between farmers and consumers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bedoin, Florence; Kristensen, Troels; Noe, Egon

    2009-01-01

    The aim of this article is to explore how different quality dimensions (safety, aesthetics, ethics and rooted ness) are created in food networks; how these qualities are transferred until the consumers; and how this process is supported by the organisation of the food network. Our postulate...... of organisations such as public label scheme, cooperate owned brand and direct sell from farmer to consumer. The results highlight the importance of the role of certification and personal commitment for the creation, and also for the mediation of added-value....

  9. Investigating consumers' and informal carers' views and preferences for consumer directed care: A discrete choice experiment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaambwa, Billingsley; Lancsar, Emily; McCaffrey, Nicola; Chen, Gang; Gill, Liz; Cameron, Ian D; Crotty, Maria; Ratcliffe, Julie

    2015-09-01

    Consumer directed care (CDC) is currently being embraced internationally as a means to promote autonomy and choice for consumers (people aged 65 and over) receiving community aged care services (CACSs). CDC involves giving CACS clients (consumers and informal carers of consumers) control over how CACSs are administered. However, CDC models have largely developed in the absence of evidence on clients' views and preferences. We explored CACS clients' preferences for a variety of CDC attributes and identified factors that may influence these preferences and potentially inform improved design of future CDC models. Study participants were clients of CACSs delivered by five Australian providers. Using a discrete choice experiment (DCE) approach undertaken in a group setting between June and December 2013, we investigated the relative importance to CACS consumers and informal (family) carers of gradations relating to six salient features of CDC (choice of service provider(s), budget management, saving unused/unspent funds, choice of support/care worker(s), support-worker flexibility and level of contact with service coordinator). The DCE data were analysed using conditional, mixed and generalised logit regression models, accounting for preference and scale heterogeneity. Mean ages for 117 study participants were 80 years (87 consumers) and 74 years (30 informal carers). All participants preferred a CDC approach that allowed them to: save unused funds from a CACS package for future use; have support workers that were flexible in terms of changing activities within their CACS care plan and; choose the support workers that provide their day-to-day CACSs. The CDC attributes found to be important to both consumers and informal carers receiving CACSs will inform the design of future CDC models of service delivery. The DCE approach used in this study has the potential for wide applicability and facilitates the assessment of preferences for elements of potential future aged care

  10. VAT: a computational framework to functionally annotate variants in personal genomes within a cloud-computing environment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Habegger, Lukas; Balasubramanian, Suganthi; Chen, David Z; Khurana, Ekta; Sboner, Andrea; Harmanci, Arif; Rozowsky, Joel; Clarke, Declan; Snyder, Michael; Gerstein, Mark

    2012-09-01

    The functional annotation of variants obtained through sequencing projects is generally assumed to be a simple intersection of genomic coordinates with genomic features. However, complexities arise for several reasons, including the differential effects of a variant on alternatively spliced transcripts, as well as the difficulty in assessing the impact of small insertions/deletions and large structural variants. Taking these factors into consideration, we developed the Variant Annotation Tool (VAT) to functionally annotate variants from multiple personal genomes at the transcript level as well as obtain summary statistics across genes and individuals. VAT also allows visualization of the effects of different variants, integrates allele frequencies and genotype data from the underlying individuals and facilitates comparative analysis between different groups of individuals. VAT can either be run through a command-line interface or as a web application. Finally, in order to enable on-demand access and to minimize unnecessary transfers of large data files, VAT can be run as a virtual machine in a cloud-computing environment. VAT is implemented in C and PHP. The VAT web service, Amazon Machine Image, source code and detailed documentation are available at vat.gersteinlab.org.

  11. Consumer directed healthcare: except for the healthy and wealthy it's unwise.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woolhandler, Steffie; Himmelstein, David U

    2007-06-01

    Many politicians and business leaders are advocating high deductible health insurance plans linked with health savings accounts--so-called consumer-directed healthcare. These policies penalize the sick, discourage needed care (especially primary and preventive care), and direct tax subsidies towards the wealthiest Americans. They offer little hope of slowing the growth of health care costs and add further bureaucratic costs and complexity to our health care financing system.

  12. Self-reported influence of television-based direct-to-consumer advertising on patient seasonal allergy and asthma medication use: An internet survey

    OpenAIRE

    Khanfar, Nile M.; Clauson, Kevin A.; Polen, Hyla H.; Shields, Kelly M.

    2008-01-01

    Background: Direct-to-consumer advertising (DDTCA) of medications, a marketing tool used by the pharmaceutical industry to increase patient awareness of products, affects both consumer behavior and, ultimately, physician prescribing practices. Billions of dollars are budgeted each year for DTCA, and its influence is far-reaching. However, little information is available about patient-initiated physician interactions in which television-bbased DTCA has played a role in consumer behavior.

  13. Direct-to-consumer genetic testing for predicting sports performance and talent identification: Consensus statement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Webborn, Nick; Williams, Alun; McNamee, Mike; Bouchard, Claude; Pitsiladis, Yannis; Ahmetov, Ildus; Ashley, Euan; Byrne, Nuala; Camporesi, Silvia; Collins, Malcolm; Dijkstra, Paul; Eynon, Nir; Fuku, Noriyuki; Garton, Fleur C; Hoppe, Nils; Holm, Søren; Kaye, Jane; Klissouras, Vassilis; Lucia, Alejandro; Maase, Kamiel; Moran, Colin; North, Kathryn N; Pigozzi, Fabio; Wang, Guan

    2015-01-01

    The general consensus among sport and exercise genetics researchers is that genetic tests have no role to play in talent identification or the individualised prescription of training to maximise performance. Despite the lack of evidence, recent years have witnessed the rise of an emerging market of direct-to-consumer marketing (DTC) tests that claim to be able to identify children's athletic talents. Targeted consumers include mainly coaches and parents. There is concern among the scientific community that the current level of knowledge is being misrepresented for commercial purposes. There remains a lack of universally accepted guidelines and legislation for DTC testing in relation to all forms of genetic testing and not just for talent identification. There is concern over the lack of clarity of information over which specific genes or variants are being tested and the almost universal lack of appropriate genetic counselling for the interpretation of the genetic data to consumers. Furthermore independent studies have identified issues relating to quality control by DTC laboratories with different results being reported from samples from the same individual. Consequently, in the current state of knowledge, no child or young athlete should be exposed to DTC genetic testing to define or alter training or for talent identification aimed at selecting gifted children or adolescents. Large scale collaborative projects, may help to develop a stronger scientific foundation on these issues in the future. PMID:26582191

  14. Consumer Ethnocentrism and Willingness to Buy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Josiassen, Alexander; Assaf, A. Georg; Karpen, Ingo O.

    2011-01-01

    has also discovered important differences in the cognitive processes and behavior depending on demographic characteristics. However, there are competing views in the literature as to how these fundamental consumer characteristics influence and interact with consumer ethnocentrism. This study further......Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to clarify how demographic consumer characteristics influence and interact with consumer ethnocentrism on willingness to buy. The authors analyze the direct effects of selected characteristics on the tendency for consumer ethnocentrism. Further, the moderating...... effects of these consumer characteristics are investigated. Design/methodology/approach – Data were gathered from 361 consumers in Australia. Data analysis was conducted using regression analysis with interactions and post hoc slope analysis. Findings – The empirical findings show that consumer tendencies...

  15. A Lexical-Ontological Resource for Consumer Healthcare

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cardillo, Elena; Serafini, Luciano; Tamilin, Andrei

    In Consumer Healthcare Informatics it is still difficult for laypeople to find, understand and act on health information, due to the persistent communication gap between specialized medical terminology and that used by healthcare consumers. Furthermore, existing clinically-oriented terminologies cannot provide sufficient support when integrated into consumer-oriented applications, so there is a need to create consumer-friendly terminologies reflecting the different ways healthcare consumers express and think about health topics. Following this direction, this work suggests a way to support the design of an ontology-based system that mitigates this gap, using knowledge engineering and semantic web technologies. The system is based on the development of a consumer-oriented medical terminology that will be integrated with other medical domain ontologies and terminologies into a medical ontology repository. This will support consumer-oriented healthcare systems, such as Personal Health Records, by providing many knowledge services to help users in accessing and managing their healthcare data.

  16. Pharmacy students' knowledge, attitudes, and evaluation of direct-to-consumer advertising.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naik, Rupali K; Borrego, Matthew E; Gupchup, Gireesh V; Dodd, Melanie; Sather, Mike R

    2007-10-15

    To assess pharmacy students' knowledge, attitudes, and evaluation of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA). A cross sectional, self-administered, 106-item survey instrument was used to assess first, second, and third professional year pharmacy students' knowledge about DTCA regulations, attitudes toward DTCA, and evaluation of DTC advertisements with different brief summary formats (professional labeling and patient labeling) and in different media sources (print and television). One hundred twenty (51.3%) of the 234 students enrolled participated in the study. The mean percentage knowledge score was 48.7% +/- 12.5%. Based on the mean scores per item, pharmacy students had an overall negative attitude toward DTC advertisements. Students had an overall negative attitude toward television and print advertisements using the professional labeling format but an overall positive attitude toward the print advertisement using the patient labeling format. Lectures discussing DTC advertising should be included in the pharmacy curriculum.

  17. Deep brain stimulation, brain maps and personalized medicine: lessons from the human genome project.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fins, Joseph J; Shapiro, Zachary E

    2014-01-01

    Although the appellation of personalized medicine is generally attributed to advanced therapeutics in molecular medicine, deep brain stimulation (DBS) can also be so categorized. Like its medical counterpart, DBS is a highly personalized intervention that needs to be tailored to a patient's individual anatomy. And because of this, DBS like more conventional personalized medicine, can be highly specific where the object of care is an N = 1. But that is where the similarities end. Besides their differing medical and surgical provenances, these two varieties of personalized medicine have had strikingly different impacts. The molecular variant, though of a more recent vintage has thrived and is experiencing explosive growth, while DBS still struggles to find a sustainable therapeutic niche. Despite its promise, and success as a vetted treatment for drug resistant Parkinson's Disease, DBS has lagged in broadening its development, often encountering regulatory hurdles and financial barriers necessary to mount an adequate number of quality trials. In this paper we will consider why DBS-or better yet neuromodulation-has encountered these challenges and contrast this experience with the more successful advance of personalized medicine. We will suggest that personalized medicine and DBS's differential performance can be explained as a matter of timing and complexity. We believe that DBS has struggled because it has been a journey of scientific exploration conducted without a map. In contrast to molecular personalized medicine which followed the mapping of the human genome and the Human Genome Project, DBS preceded plans for the mapping of the human brain. We believe that this sequence has given personalized medicine a distinct advantage and that the fullest potential of DBS will be realized both as a cartographical or electrophysiological probe and as a modality of personalized medicine.

  18. Genome-Wide Association Uncovers Shared Genetic Effects Among Personality Traits and Mood States

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Luciano, Michelle; Huffman, Jennifer E.; Arias-Vásquez, Alejandro; Vinkhuyzen, Anna A. E.; Middeldorp, Christel M.; Giegling, Ina; Payton, Antony; Davies, Gail; Zgaga, Lina; Janzing, Joost; Ke, Xiayi; Galesloot, Tessel; Hartmann, Annette M.; Ollier, William; Tenesa, Albert; Hayward, Caroline; Verhagen, Maaike; Montgomery, Grant W.; Hottenga, Jouke-Jan; Konte, Bettina; Starr, John M.; Vitart, Veronique; Vos, Pieter E.; Madden, Pamela A. F.; Willemsen, Gonneke; Konnerth, Heike; Horan, Michael A.; Porteous, David J.; Campbell, Harry; Vermeulen, Sita H.; Heath, Andrew C.; Wright, Alan; Polasek, Ozren; Kovacevic, Sanja B.; Hastie, Nicholas D.; Franke, Barbara; Boomsma, Dorret I.; Martin, Nicholas G.; Rujescu, Dan; Wilson, James F.; Buitelaar, Jan; Pendleton, Neil; Rudan, Igor; Deary, Ian J.

    2012-01-01

    Measures of personality and psychological distress are correlated and exhibit genetic covariance. We conducted univariate genome-wide SNP (similar to 2.5 million) and gene-based association analyses of these traits and examined the overlap in results across traits, including a prediction analysis of

  19. Trade Agreements and Direct-to-Consumer Advertising of Pharmaceuticals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gleeson, Deborah; Menkes, David B

    2017-10-16

    There is growing international concern about the risks posed by direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription pharmaceuticals, including via the internet. Recent trade agreements negotiated by the United States, however, incorporate provisions that may constrain national regulation of DTCA. Some provisions explicitly mention DTCA; others enable foreign investors to seek compensation if new regulations are seen to harm their investments. These provisions may thus prevent countries from restricting DTCA or put them at risk of expensive legal action from companies seeking damages due to restrictions on advertising. While the most recent example, the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP), collapsed following US withdrawal in January 2017, early indications of the Trump Administration's trade policy agenda signal an even more aggressive approach on the part of the United States in negotiating advantages for American businesses. Furthermore, the eleven remaining TPP countries may decide to proceed with the agreement in the absence of the United States, with most of the original text (including the provisions relevant to DTCA) intact. © 2018 The Author(s); Published by Kerman University of Medical Sciences. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

  20. Fair Balance? An Analysis of the Functional Equivalence of Risk and Benefit Information in Prescription Drug Direct-to-Consumer Television Advertising

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baird-Harris, Kay

    2009-01-01

    Prescription drug direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) has been a subject of controversy in recent years. Though government regulations require equivalent prominence of risks and benefits, there is concern about the ability of consumers with limited health literacy to fully comprehend the risks and benefits associated with drug use. Evaluating…

  1. Digital Direct-to-Consumer Advertising: A Perfect Storm of Rapid Evolution and Stagnant Regulation; Comment on “Trouble Spots in Online Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Promotion: A Content Analysis of FDA Warning Letters”

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tim K. Mackey

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available The adoption and use of digital forms of direct-to-consumer advertising (also known as “eDTCA” is on the rise. At the same time, the universe of eDTCA is expanding, as technology on Internet-based platforms continues to evolve, from static websites, to social media, and nearly ubiquitous use of mobile devices. However, little is known about how this unique form of pharmaceutical marketing impacts consumer behavior, public health, and overall healthcare utilization. The study by Kim analyzing US Food and Drug Administration (FDA notices of violations (NOVs and warning letters regarding online promotional activities takes us in the right direction, but study results raise as many questions as it does answers. Chief among these are unanswered concerns about the unique regulatory challenges posed by the “disruptive” qualities of eDTCA, and whether regulators have sufficient resources and oversight powers to proactively address potential violations. Further, the globalization of eDTCA via borderless Internet-based technologies raises larger concerns about the potential global impact of this form of health marketing unique to only the United States and New Zealand. Collectively, these challenges make it unlikely that regulatory science will be able to keep apace with the continued rapid evolution of eDTCA unless more creative policy solutions are explored.

  2. How direct-to-consumer television advertising for osteoarthritis drugs affects physicians' prescribing behavior.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bradford, W David; Kleit, Andrew N; Nietert, Paul J; Steyer, Terrence; McIlwain, Thomas; Ornstein, Steven

    2006-01-01

    Concern about the potential pernicious effect of direct-to-consumer (DTC) drug advertising on physicians' prescribing patterns was heightened with the 2004 withdrawal of Vioxx, a heavily advertised treatment for osteoarthritis. We examine how DTC advertising has affected physicians' prescribing behavior for osteoarthritis patients. We analyzed monthly clinical information on fifty-seven primary care practices during 2000-2002, matched to monthly brand-specific advertising data for local and network television. DTC advertising of Vioxx and Celebrex increased the number of osteoarthritis patients seen by physicians each month. DTC advertising of Vioxx increased the likelihood that patients received both Vioxx and Celebrex, but Celebrex ads only affected Vioxx use.

  3. Consumer knowledge structures with regards to organic foods

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bredahl, Lone; Thøgersen, John; Dean, Moira

    2004-01-01

    associated with self-relevant consequences do not appear to discriminate clearly among segments, however. Generally, organic origin has significant links to personal values among segments of adventurous, enthusiastic, hedonistic and eco-healthy food consumers while it appears a dysfunctional means......This paper presents results of an empirical study conducted among European consumers to explore consumer knowledge structures with regard to organic foods and to identify the beliefs and the attribute-to-value chains that discriminate best among different consumer segments. Using means-end chain...... theory as the theoretical basis, the objectives of the study were met through carrying out laddering interviews with consumers in Germany, Great Britain, Denmark and Spain, using a Food-Related Lifestyle (FRL) segment-based approach and interviewing both organic and non-organic consumers. Respondents...

  4. Understanding consumer preferences for communication channels to create consumer-directed health promotion efforts in psychiatric rehabilitation settings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DiFranco, Evelina; Bressi, Sara K; Salzer, Mark S

    2006-01-01

    People with serious mental illnesses experience increased rates of physical illnesses. Drop-in centers and psychosocial rehabilitation programs can serve as important settings for health promotion efforts, but such efforts should utilize communication strategies that are used by consumers and are perceived to be reliable. Focus groups involving 23 consumers at drop-in centers in Philadelphia were conducted to assess the perceived usefulness of health information from a variety of sources. Consumers especially liked getting information from other people, including health care professionals, friends, and family, and found the information to be reliable and useful. Print literature, the Internet, and a library had various limitations. Respondents were generally unfamiliar with community health fairs and related events. Consumers considered trustworthiness, proximity and availability, and the specificity and depth of information provided by a communication source when getting health information. Implications for health promotion efforts are discussed.

  5. Private and Efficient Query Processing on Outsourced Genomic Databases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghasemi, Reza; Al Aziz, Md Momin; Mohammed, Noman; Dehkordi, Massoud Hadian; Jiang, Xiaoqian

    2017-09-01

    Applications of genomic studies are spreading rapidly in many domains of science and technology such as healthcare, biomedical research, direct-to-consumer services, and legal and forensic. However, there are a number of obstacles that make it hard to access and process a big genomic database for these applications. First, sequencing genomic sequence is a time consuming and expensive process. Second, it requires large-scale computation and storage systems to process genomic sequences. Third, genomic databases are often owned by different organizations, and thus, not available for public usage. Cloud computing paradigm can be leveraged to facilitate the creation and sharing of big genomic databases for these applications. Genomic data owners can outsource their databases in a centralized cloud server to ease the access of their databases. However, data owners are reluctant to adopt this model, as it requires outsourcing the data to an untrusted cloud service provider that may cause data breaches. In this paper, we propose a privacy-preserving model for outsourcing genomic data to a cloud. The proposed model enables query processing while providing privacy protection of genomic databases. Privacy of the individuals is guaranteed by permuting and adding fake genomic records in the database. These techniques allow cloud to evaluate count and top-k queries securely and efficiently. Experimental results demonstrate that a count and a top-k query over 40 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in a database of 20 000 records takes around 100 and 150 s, respectively.

  6. Experience-based authority argumentation in direct-to-consumer medical advertisements: An analytical and empirical study concerning the strategic anticipation of critical questions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wierda, R.M.

    2015-01-01

    In a direct-to-consumer (DTC) medical advertisement an advertiser aims to convince consumers to use a medical product, such as a dietary supplement, a freely obtainable pain killer or a prescription drug. Such advertisements sometimes feature endorsers who claim to have experienced the desirable

  7. Fit for purpose? Validation of a conceptual framework for personal recovery with current mental health consumers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bird, Victoria; Leamy, Mary; Tew, Jerry; Le Boutillier, Clair; Williams, Julie; Slade, Mike

    2014-07-01

    Mental health services in the UK, Australia and other Anglophone countries have moved towards supporting personal recovery as a primary orientation. To provide an empirically grounded foundation to identify and evaluate recovery-oriented interventions, we previously published a conceptual framework of personal recovery based on a systematic review and narrative synthesis of existing models. Our objective was to test the validity and relevance of this framework for people currently using mental health services. Seven focus groups were conducted with 48 current mental health consumers in three NHS trusts across England, as part of the REFOCUS Trial. Consumers were asked about the meaning and their experience of personal recovery. Deductive and inductive thematic analysis applying a constant comparison approach was used to analyse the data. The analysis aimed to explore the validity of the categories within the conceptual framework, and to highlight any areas of difference between the conceptual framework and the themes generated from new data collected from the focus groups. Both the inductive and deductive analysis broadly validated the conceptual framework, with the super-ordinate categories Connectedness, Hope and optimism, Identity, Meaning and purpose, and Empowerment (CHIME) evident in the analysis. Three areas of difference were, however, apparent in the inductive analysis. These included practical support; a greater emphasis on issues around diagnosis and medication; and scepticism surrounding recovery. This study suggests that the conceptual framework of personal recovery provides a defensible theoretical base for clinical and research purposes which is valid for use with current consumers. However, the three areas of difference further stress the individual nature of recovery and the need for an understanding of the population and context under investigation. © The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2014.

  8. Perceptions of chronically ill and healthy consumers about electronic personal health records: a comparative empirical investigation

    OpenAIRE

    Cocosila, Mihail; Archer, Norm

    2014-01-01

    Objective To develop a model of consumer perceptions of electronic personal health records (PHRs) and validate it in a comparative study between consumers who report having a chronic illness and those who report being well. Materials and methods A model of PHR use motivators and barriers was built and tested through a national survey across Canada. Data were collected from 800 individuals, 18 years or older. Half reported having a chronic illness or disability and half reported being well. An...

  9. Pharmacogenetic testing through the direct-to-consumer genetic testing company 23andMe.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Mengfei; Lewis, Cathryn M; Traylor, Matthew

    2017-06-19

    Rapid advances in scientific research have led to an increase in public awareness of genetic testing and pharmacogenetics. Direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing companies, such as 23andMe, allow consumers to access their genetic information directly through an online service without the involvement of healthcare professionals. Here, we evaluate the clinical relevance of pharmacogenetic tests reported by 23andMe in their UK tests. The research papers listed under each 23andMe report were evaluated, extracting information on effect size, sample size and ethnicity. A wider literature search was performed to provide a fuller assessment of the pharmacogenetic test and variants were matched to FDA recommendations. Additional evidence from CPIC guidelines, PharmGKB, and Dutch Pharmacogenetics Working Group was reviewed to determine current clinical practice. The value of the tests across ethnic groups was determined, including information on linkage disequilibrium between the tested SNP and causal pharmacogenetic variant, where relevant. 23andMe offers 12 pharmacogenetic tests to their UK customers, some of which are in standard clinical practice, and others which are less widely applied. The clinical validity and clinical utility varies extensively between tests. The variants tested are likely to have different degrees of sensitivity due to different risk allele frequencies and linkage disequilibrium patterns across populations. The clinical relevance depends on the ethnicity of the individual and variability of pharmacogenetic markers. Further research is required to determine causal variants and provide more complete assessment of drug response and side effects. 23andMe reports provide some useful pharmacogenetics information, mirroring clinical tests that are in standard use. Other tests are unspecific, providing limited guidance and may not be useful for patients without professional interpretation. Nevertheless, DTC companies like 23andMe act as a powerful

  10. Explaining consumer attitudes to genetic modification in food production

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bredahl, Lone

    for explaining consumer attitudes to genetic modification in food production which builds on modern cognitive psychology and multi-attribute attitude theory. In addition, the paper introduces the empirical research which is undertaken at present to validate and estimate the parameters of the model by means......Consumers have not had many possibilities yet for seeking out, buying and consuming genetically modified food products. However, for various reasons consumer attitude formation with regard to these products is likely to be complex and closely related to personal values. The paper presents a model...

  11. A new generation of cancer genome diagnostics for routine clinical use: overcoming the roadblocks to personalized cancer medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heuckmann, J M; Thomas, R K

    2015-09-01

    The identification of 'druggable' kinase gene alterations has revolutionized cancer treatment in the last decade by providing new and successfully targetable drug targets. Thus, genotyping tumors for matching the right patients with the right drugs have become a clinical routine. Today, advances in sequencing technology and computational genome analyses enable the discovery of a constantly growing number of genome alterations relevant for clinical decision making. As a consequence, several technological approaches have emerged in order to deal with these rapidly increasing demands for clinical cancer genome analyses. Here, we describe challenges on the path to the broad introduction of diagnostic cancer genome analyses and the technologies that can be applied to overcome them. We define three generations of molecular diagnostics that are in clinical use. The latest generation of these approaches involves deep and thus, highly sensitive sequencing of all therapeutically relevant types of genome alterations-mutations, copy number alterations and rearrangements/fusions-in a single assay. Such approaches therefore have substantial advantages (less time and less tissue required) over PCR-based methods that typically have to be combined with fluorescence in situ hybridization for detection of gene amplifications and fusions. Since these new technologies work reliably on routine diagnostic formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded specimens, they can help expedite the broad introduction of personalized cancer therapy into the clinic by providing comprehensive, sensitive and accurate cancer genome diagnoses in 'real-time'. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society for Medical Oncology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  12. Presenting efficacy information in direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertisements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Donoghue, Amie C; Sullivan, Helen W; Aikin, Kathryn J; Chowdhury, Dhuly; Moultrie, Rebecca R; Rupert, Douglas J

    2014-05-01

    We evaluated whether presenting prescription drug efficacy information in direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising helps individuals accurately report a drug's benefits and, if so, which numerical format is most helpful. We conducted a randomized, controlled study of individuals diagnosed with high cholesterol (n=2807) who viewed fictitious prescription drug print or television ads containing either no drug efficacy information or efficacy information in one of five numerical formats. We measured drug efficacy recall, drug perceptions and attitudes, behavioral intentions, and drug risk recall. Individuals who viewed absolute frequency and/or percentage information more accurately reported drug efficacy than participants who viewed no efficacy information. Participants who viewed relative frequency information generally reported drug efficacy less accurately than participants who viewed other numerical formats. Adding efficacy information to DTC ads-both in print and on television-may potentially increase an individual's knowledge of a drug's efficacy, which may improve patient-provider communication and promote more informed decisions. Providing quantitative efficacy information in a combination of formats (e.g., absolute frequency and percent) may help patients remember information and make decisions about prescription drugs. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

  13. Public health genomics and personalized prevention: lessons from the COGS project.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pashayan, N; Hall, A; Chowdhury, S; Dent, T; Pharoah, P D P; Burton, H

    2013-11-01

    Using the principles of public health genomics, we examined the opportunities and challenges of implementing personalized prevention programmes for cancer at the population level. Our model-based estimates indicate that polygenic risk stratification can potentially improve the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of screening programmes. However, compared with 'one-size-fits-all' screening programmes, personalized screening adds further layers of complexity to the organization of screening services and raises ethical, legal and social challenges. Before polygenic inheritance is translated into population screening strategy, evidence from empirical research and engagement with and education of the public and the health professionals are needed. © 2013 The Association for the Publication of the Journal of Internal Medicine.

  14. "Be ready against cancer, now": direct-to-consumer advertising for genetic testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    William-Jones, Bryn

    2006-04-01

    A recent addition to the debate about the benefits and harms of direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising of medicines and pharmaceuticals is a growing critique of DTC marketing and sale of genetic tests. Academic and policy literatures exploring this issue have, however, tended to focus on the sale of genetic tests, paying rather less attention to the particular implications of advertising. The globalization of broadcast media and ever increasing access to the Internet mean that public exposure to advertising for medical technologies is a reality that national regulatory bodies will be hard pressed to constrain. Working through a case study detailing Myriad Genetics' 2002 pilot advertising campaign for their BRACAnalysis genetic susceptibility test for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, this paper highlights some of the diverse and often overlooked and unregulated approaches to DTC advertising, and the associated social, ethical and policy implications.

  15. Consumer response to irradiated spices in Egypt

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El-Khateeb, M.A.; El-Fouly, M.Z.; Farag, M.D.; Abdel Karim, H.A.; Saad El-Din, N.

    2000-01-01

    This study analyses the response of the consumer about irradiated spices. The spices under investigation were black pepper, cumin and coriander. The results of the sensory test the panelists ( 136 person) failed to indicate any difference between the irradiated and unirradiated black pepper, cumin and coriander. The percentages of correct answer were 26.92 29.23, 29.23 and 27.27. Five hundred post card were issued for black pepper to test the opinion of the consumer acceptance for the irradiated black pepper. The result of their opinion were 62.2% of the consumers who would buy irradiated black pepper, 14.6% would not buy it and 23.2% were undecided

  16. The Moderating Role of Age in Responses to Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Advertising.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ball, Jennifer G; Manika, Danae; Stout, Patricia A

    2016-01-01

    Age is an important factor that can influence processing of and response to health messages. Many studies examining evaluations of and responses to direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising (DTCA) have incorporated age as a predictor variable, moderating variable, or sample criterion. However, findings have been inconsistent. This study attempts to add clarity to this body of research by assessing age differences in the antecedent factors of various DTCA outcomes. A multigroup structural equation modeling analysis revealed several significant differences in variable relationships between older (50+) and younger (behavioral intentions among older adults while showing a straightforward positive association with attention among younger adults. Further analysis indicated that health status accounted for some but not all of the age differences. It is suggested that younger adults are more open to seeking additional information following DTCA exposure, whereas older adults remain ambivalent.

  17. Training future physicians in the era of genomic medicine: trends in undergraduate medical genetics education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Plunkett-Rondeau, Jevon; Hyland, Katherine; Dasgupta, Shoumita

    2015-11-01

    Advances in genomic technologies are transforming medical practice, necessitating the expertise of genomically-literate physicians. This study examined 2013-2014 trends in genetics curricula in US and Canadian medical schools to ascertain whether and how curricula are keeping pace with this rapid evolution. Medical genetics course directors received a 60-item electronic questionnaire covering curriculum design, assessment, remediation of failing grades, and inclusion of specific topics. The response rate was 74%. Most schools teach the majority of genetics during the first 2 years, with an increase in the number of integrated curricula. Only 26% reported formal genetics teaching during years 3 and 4, and most respondents felt the amount of time spent on genetics was insufficient preparation for clinical practice. Most participants are using the Association of Professors of Human and Medical Genetics Core Curriculum(1) as a guide. Topics recently added include personalized medicine (21%) and direct-to-consumer testing (18%), whereas eugenics (17%), linkage analysis (16%), and evolutionary genetics (15%) have been recently eliminated. Remediation strategies were heterogeneous across institutions. These findings provide an important update on how genetics and genomics is taught at US and Canadian medical schools. Continuous improvement of educational initiatives will aid in producing genomically-literate physicians.

  18. Direct-to-consumer genetic testing for predicting sports performance and talent identification: Consensus statement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Webborn, Nick; Williams, Alun; McNamee, Mike; Bouchard, Claude; Pitsiladis, Yannis; Ahmetov, Ildus; Ashley, Euan; Byrne, Nuala; Camporesi, Silvia; Collins, Malcolm; Dijkstra, Paul; Eynon, Nir; Fuku, Noriyuki; Garton, Fleur C; Hoppe, Nils; Holm, Søren; Kaye, Jane; Klissouras, Vassilis; Lucia, Alejandro; Maase, Kamiel; Moran, Colin; North, Kathryn N; Pigozzi, Fabio; Wang, Guan

    2015-12-01

    The general consensus among sport and exercise genetics researchers is that genetic tests have no role to play in talent identification or the individualised prescription of training to maximise performance. Despite the lack of evidence, recent years have witnessed the rise of an emerging market of direct-to-consumer marketing (DTC) tests that claim to be able to identify children's athletic talents. Targeted consumers include mainly coaches and parents. There is concern among the scientific community that the current level of knowledge is being misrepresented for commercial purposes. There remains a lack of universally accepted guidelines and legislation for DTC testing in relation to all forms of genetic testing and not just for talent identification. There is concern over the lack of clarity of information over which specific genes or variants are being tested and the almost universal lack of appropriate genetic counselling for the interpretation of the genetic data to consumers. Furthermore independent studies have identified issues relating to quality control by DTC laboratories with different results being reported from samples from the same individual. Consequently, in the current state of knowledge, no child or young athlete should be exposed to DTC genetic testing to define or alter training or for talent identification aimed at selecting gifted children or adolescents. Large scale collaborative projects, may help to develop a stronger scientific foundation on these issues in the future. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

  19. Advertising to the End Consumers by Pharmaceutical Companies: Blessing or Curse?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Scott Goldberg

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available The last several years have seen an increase inthe number of direct to consumer advertisements by pharmaceutical companies.Direct to Consumer advertisements (DTC means targeting the end consumerthrough advertisements on television, radio, in newspapers, magazines, and theInternet. The qualitative study presents data and supports  the need for a future quantitative study toask physicians and consumers their opinions on whether pharmaceutical companiesshould be allowed to advertise directly to the end consumer. This article reviewsthe literature on this controversial topic, supporting the need to explore thereserach questions in greater detail. A review of the literature suggests thereis financial motivation on the part of the pharmaceutical companies to increasetheir sales by advertsing directly to the end consumer as opposed to performingan educational service to the consumer.

  20. Ethical and epistemic issues in direct-to-consumer drug advertising: where is patient agency?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Womack, Catherine A

    2013-05-01

    Arguments for and against direct-to-consumer drug advertising (DTCA) center on two issues: (1) the epistemic effects on patients through access to information provided by the ads; and (2) the effects of such information on patients' abilities to make good choices in the healthcare marketplace. Advocates argue that DTCA provides useful information for patients as consumers, including information connecting symptoms to particular medical conditions, information about new drug therapies for those conditions. Opponents of DTCA point out substantial omissions in information provided by the ads and argue that the framing of the ads may mislead patients about the indications, uses, and effectiveness of the drugs advertised. They also suggest that DTCA has a number of potentially negative effects on the doctor-patient relationship. The standard arguments appear to assume a simplistic correlation-more information means more agency for patients. However, empirical studies on medical decision making suggest that this relationship is much more complex and nuanced. I examine recent research on ways in which patients are vulnerable with respect to DTCA. In order to address the complex issues of information acquisition and consumer decision-making in the health care marketplace, the focus should not be simply on what information patients need in order to make medical decisions, but also on the conditions under which patients actually are able to make medical decisions requiring complex medication information. This requires examining both the cognitive limitations of patients with respect to drug information and investigating patients' preferences and needs in a variety of medical contexts.

  1. Affect Of Cultural Factor On Consumer Behaviour In Online Shop

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Agnita Yolanda

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Consumer behavior is an action taken by a person in making a decision to search for purchase acquire use of goods and services that will satisfy their needs. The purpose of this study is presented to determine how much the behavior of consumers to choose online shopping and direct shopping at Management of Higher School STIM Sukma Medan. The method used in this research is descriptive method with quantitative data that has been obtained through the data directly from the company. The data collected with the spaciousness of research and literature in the form of distributing questionnaires to 52 fifty-two consumers. Processing data using SPSS statistical test tools version 17.00. Based on the results of the 4 four and the indicator above the 8 eight questions as well as 52 fifty-two consumers. Results showed that the most influential in choosing online shopping is a cultural factor with a percentage of 26.14 while the most influential in choosing the direct spending is psychological factors with the percentage of 26.50.

  2. Personal health records: Consumer attitudes toward privacy and security of their personal health information.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lafky, Deborah Beranek; Horan, Thomas A

    2011-03-01

    Personal health record (PHR) systems are a subject of intense interest in the move to improve healthcare accessibility and quality. Although a number of vendors continue to put forward PHR systems, user-centered design research has lagged, and it has not been clear what features are important to prospective PHR users. Here, we report on a user-centered design study that combines qualitative and quantitative approaches to investigate several dimensions relevant to PHR design, and to look at the effect of health status on user needs. The results indicate that health status, especially disability and chronic illness, is relevant to PHR design. Further, the results provide empirical evidence about the role of privacy and security in users' attitudes toward PHR use. The exact nature of these attitudes differs from widely held perceptions about consumer values in healthcare information management. © The Author(s) 2011.

  3. Behavioural changes, sharing behaviour and psychological responses after receiving direct-to-consumer genetic test results: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stewart, Kelly F J; Wesselius, Anke; Schreurs, Maartje A C; Schols, Annemie M W J; Zeegers, Maurice P

    2018-01-01

    It has been hypothesised that direct-to-consumer genetic tests (DTC-GTs) could stimulate health behaviour change. However, genetic testing may also lead to anxiety and distress or unnecessarily burden the health care system. The aim is to review and meta-analyse the effects of DTC-GT on (1) behaviour change, (2) psychological response and (3) medical consumption. A systematic literature search was performed in three databases, using "direct-to-consumer genetic testing" as a key search term. Random effects meta-analyses were performed when at least two comparable outcomes were available. After selection, 19 articles were included involving 11 unique studies. Seven studies involved actual consumers who paid the retail price, whereas four included participants who received free genetic testing as part of a research trial (non-actual consumers). In meta-analysis, 23% had a positive lifestyle change. More specifically, improved dietary and exercise practices were both reported by 12%, whereas 19% quit smoking. Seven percent of participants had subsequent preventive checks. Thirty-three percent shared their results with any health care professional and 50% with family and/or friends. Sub-analyses show that behaviour change was more prevalent among non-actual consumers, whereas sharing was more prevalent among actual consumers. Results on psychological responses showed that anxiety, distress and worry were low or absent and that the effect faded with time. DTC-GT has potential to be effective as a health intervention, but the right audience needs to be addressed with tailored follow-up. Research is needed to identify consumers who do and do not change behaviour or experience adverse psychological responses.

  4. The study of direct-to-consumer advertising for prescription drugs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schommer, Jon C; Hansen, Richard A

    2005-06-01

    The objectives of this article are to (1) identify key methodological issues related to investigating the effects of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) for prescription drugs, (2) highlight opportunities and challenges that these issues pose, and (3) provide suggestions to address these challenges and opportunities from a social and administrative pharmacy perspective. Through a review of existing literature and consultation with research colleagues, we identified 3 broad issues regarding the study of DTCA for prescription drugs: (1) the importance of problem formulation, (2) the role of health behavior and decision-making perspectives, and (3) data collection and data analysis challenges and opportunities. Based upon our findings, we developed recommendations for future research in this area. Clear problem formulation will be instructive for prioritizing research needs and for determining the role that health behavior and decision-making perspectives can serve in DTCA research. In addition, it appears that cluster bias, nonlinear relationships, mediating/moderating effects, time effects, acquiescent response, and case mix are particularly salient challenges for the DTCA research domain. We suggest that problem formulation, selection of sound theories upon which to base research, and data collection and data analysis challenges are key methodological issues related to investigating the effects of DTCA for prescription drugs.

  5. CONSUMER BETWEEN OBJECTIVE AND SUBJECTIVE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Răzvan Dina

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available We live in a society where the consumer, due to the diversity and abundance of products and services whose characteristics are becoming more similar, has to make choices that are increasingly difficult. Another aspect that has led to a profound transformation of the consumer behavior is due to the large volume of information, supplied by the Internet, information which in some cases is not accurate, but is decisively influencing the consumer. In equal measure, the difficulty of making a purchasing decision is caused by the fact that with the opening to the global market, where the products and services were depersonalized, gaining common features, and where the concept of quality tends to no longer relate to the same standards as a few decades ago, having suffered major changes. The quality of products is a fundamental requirement of competitiveness, and quality assessment is a personal right of the consumer, because this is a direct effect of quality of life. (“Fundamentele ştiinţei mărfurilor” Dinu Vasile, 2008

  6. Still the Great Debate – “Fair Balance” in Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Advertising; Comment on “Trouble Spots in Online Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Promotion: A Content Analysis of FDA Warning Letters”

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brent L. Rollins

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available The above titled paper examined the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s warning letters and notice of violations (NOV over a 10-year period. Findings from this content analysis reinforced what has been the primary issue for prescription direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA since its beginning, the fair balance of risk and benefit information. As opposed to another analysis in 2026 about this still being an issue, is there anything that can be done to prevent this problem from continuing?

  7. Exploring dispositional tendencies to seek online information about direct-to-consumer genetic testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paquin, Ryan S; Richards, Adam S; Koehly, Laura M; McBride, Colleen M

    2012-12-01

    Varying perspectives exist regarding the implications of genetic susceptibility testing for common disease, with some anticipating adverse effects and others expecting positive outcomes; however, little is known about the characteristics of people who are most likely to be interested in direct-to-consumer genetic testing. To that end, this study examines the association of individual dispositional differences with health risk perceptions and online information seeking related to a free genetic susceptibility test. Healthy adults enrolled in a large health maintenance organization were surveyed by telephone. Eligible participants (N = 1,959) were given access to a secure website that provided risk and benefit information about a genetic susceptibility test and given the option to be tested. Neuroticism was associated with increased perceptions of disease risk but not with logging on. Those scoring high in conscientiousness were more likely to log on. We found no evidence that neuroticism, a dispositional characteristic commonly linked to adverse emotional response, was predictive of online genetic information seeking in this sample of healthy adults.

  8. Directed evolution combined with synthetic biology strategies expedite semi-rational engineering of genes and genomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Zhen; Zhang, Junli; Jin, Peng; Yang, Sen

    2015-01-01

    Owing to our limited understanding of the relationship between sequence and function and the interaction between intracellular pathways and regulatory systems, the rational design of enzyme-coding genes and de novo assembly of a brand-new artificial genome for a desired functionality or phenotype are difficult to achieve. As an alternative approach, directed evolution has been widely used to engineer genomes and enzyme-coding genes. In particular, significant developments toward DNA synthesis, DNA assembly (in vitro or in vivo), recombination-mediated genetic engineering, and high-throughput screening techniques in the field of synthetic biology have been matured and widely adopted, enabling rapid semi-rational genome engineering to generate variants with desired properties. In this commentary, these novel tools and their corresponding applications in the directed evolution of genomes and enzymes are discussed. Moreover, the strategies for genome engineering and rapid in vitro enzyme evolution are also proposed.

  9. Personal Learning Environments: A Solution for Self-Directed Learners

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haworth, Ryan

    2016-01-01

    In this paper I discuss "personal learning environments" and their diverse benefits, uses, and implications for life-long learning. Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) are Web 2.0 and social media technologies that enable individual learners the ability to manage their own learning. Self-directed learning is explored as a foundation…

  10. Cognitive style and consumer innovativeness

    OpenAIRE

    Foxall, Gordon R.; Haskins, Christopher

    1986-01-01

    The identification of consumer innovators offers marketing managers the opportunity to tailor new products to the buyers who initiate the diffusion of innovations. Progress has been made in identifying such consumers in economic and social terms, but there are advantages of cost and convenience in isolating the personality profiles of innovators, especially during prelaunch product testing. But innovative consumers' distinctive personality traits have proved elusive. This paper reports an inv...

  11. Consumer Issues and Consumer Protection in Asia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Widdows, Richard; And Others

    1995-01-01

    Looks at themes of consumer interests in Asia and comments on the directions consumer policy is taking in that region. Outlines issues facing the region's consumers, describes evolving consumer protection mechanisms, and presents a model for promoting consumer interests in the region. (JOW)

  12. Analysis of the whole mitochondrial genome: translation of the Ion Torrent Personal Genome Machine system to the diagnostic bench?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seneca, Sara; Vancampenhout, Kim; Van Coster, Rudy; Smet, Joél; Lissens, Willy; Vanlander, Arnaud; De Paepe, Boel; Jonckheere, An; Stouffs, Katrien; De Meirleir, Linda

    2015-01-01

    Next-generation sequencing (NGS), an innovative sequencing technology that enables the successful analysis of numerous gene sequences in a massive parallel sequencing approach, has revolutionized the field of molecular biology. Although NGS was introduced in a rather recent past, the technology has already demonstrated its potential and effectiveness in many research projects, and is now on the verge of being introduced into the diagnostic setting of routine laboratories to delineate the molecular basis of genetic disease in undiagnosed patient samples. We tested a benchtop device on retrospective genomic DNA (gDNA) samples of controls and patients with a clinical suspicion of a mitochondrial DNA disorder. This Ion Torrent Personal Genome Machine platform is a high-throughput sequencer with a fast turnaround time and reasonable running costs. We challenged the chemistry and technology with the analysis and processing of a mutational spectrum composed of samples with single-nucleotide substitutions, indels (insertions and deletions) and large single or multiple deletions, occasionally in heteroplasmy. The output data were compared with previously obtained conventional dideoxy sequencing results and the mitochondrial revised Cambridge Reference Sequence (rCRS). We were able to identify the majority of all nucleotide alterations, but three false-negative results were also encountered in the data set. At the same time, the poor performance of the PGM instrument in regions associated with homopolymeric stretches generated many false-positive miscalls demanding additional manual curation of the data.

  13. The Unfair Commercial Practices Directive and Vulnerable Consumers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Trzaskowski, Jan

    the economic behaviour of consumers ‘below 1 average’ even though the practice does not meet the requirements of professional diligence. The Directive’s adoption of the European Court of Justice’s ‘average consumer’ entails that protection is generally provided only for those who are far from vulnerable......Consumer protection is deeply anchored in EU law, including the Treaty and the Charter of Fundamental Rights. This article discusses the concept of consumer vulnerability and how vulnerable consumers are protected in the context of commercial practices which is fully harmonised by the Unfair....... The Directive’s Article 5(3) concerning vulnerable consumers protects only—and to a limited extent—groups who are vulnerable due to mental or physical infirmity, age or credulity. Even though consumers make many good choices, all consumers are vulnerable in certain situations—often due to time constraints...

  14. Integrating sequencing technologies in personal genomics: optimal low cost reconstruction of structural variants.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jiang Du

    2009-07-01

    Full Text Available The goal of human genome re-sequencing is obtaining an accurate assembly of an individual's genome. Recently, there has been great excitement in the development of many technologies for this (e.g. medium and short read sequencing from companies such as 454 and SOLiD, and high-density oligo-arrays from Affymetrix and NimbelGen, with even more expected to appear. The costs and sensitivities of these technologies differ considerably from each other. As an important goal of personal genomics is to reduce the cost of re-sequencing to an affordable point, it is worthwhile to consider optimally integrating technologies. Here, we build a simulation toolbox that will help us optimally combine different technologies for genome re-sequencing, especially in reconstructing large structural variants (SVs. SV reconstruction is considered the most challenging step in human genome re-sequencing. (It is sometimes even harder than de novo assembly of small genomes because of the duplications and repetitive sequences in the human genome. To this end, we formulate canonical problems that are representative of issues in reconstruction and are of small enough scale to be computationally tractable and simulatable. Using semi-realistic simulations, we show how we can combine different technologies to optimally solve the assembly at low cost. With mapability maps, our simulations efficiently handle the inhomogeneous repeat-containing structure of the human genome and the computational complexity of practical assembly algorithms. They quantitatively show how combining different read lengths is more cost-effective than using one length, how an optimal mixed sequencing strategy for reconstructing large novel SVs usually also gives accurate detection of SNPs/indels, how paired-end reads can improve reconstruction efficiency, and how adding in arrays is more efficient than just sequencing for disentangling some complex SVs. Our strategy should facilitate the sequencing of

  15. Strategies to Reduce Person-to-Person Transmission During Widespread Escherichia coli O157:H7 Outbreak

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    US consumers were warned not to eat raw spinach during a 2006 E. coli O157:H7 outbreak, but additional warnings about person-to-person transmission could have reduced bacteria spread. Dr. Martin Meltzer discusses the research methods and findings and the authors' success in presenting them clearly and accurately.

  16. Designing Laboratory Exercises for the Undergraduate Molecular Biology/Biochemistry Student: Techniques and Ethical Implications Involved in Personalized Medicine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weinlander, Kenneth M.; Hall, David J.

    2010-01-01

    Personalized medicine refers to medical care that involves genetically screening patients for their likelihood to develop various disorders. Commercial genome screening only involves identifying a consumer's genotype for a few single nucleotide polymorphisms. A phenotype (such as an illness) is greatly influenced by three factors: genes, gene…

  17. Using a Historical Lens to Envision the Next Generation of Genomic Translation Research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McBride, Colleen M; Abrams, Leah R; Koehly, Laura M

    2015-01-01

    The past 20 years have witnessed successive and exponential advances in genomic discovery and technology, with a broad scientific imperative pushing for continual advancements. The most consistent critique of these advances is that they have vastly outpaced translation of new knowledge into improvements in public health and medicine. We employ a historical and epistemological analysis to characterize how prevailing scientific meta-narratives have shaped the pace and priorities of research applying genomics to health promotion. We use four 'pivotal events' - the genetic characterization of Down syndrome, the launch of the Human Genome Research Project, the discovery of BRCA1, and the emergence of direct-to- consumer genetic testing - to illustrate how these scientific meta-narratives have inhibited genomic translation research. The notion that discovery should precede translation research has over-focused translation research on the latest genetic testing platform. The idea that genetic-related research has an exceptional potential for public harm has encouraged research on worst case scenarios. The perceived competition between genetics and social determinants of health has discouraged a unified research agenda to move genomic translation forward. We make a case for creating new scientific meta-narratives in which discovery and translation research agendas are envisioned as an interdependent enterprise. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  18. The Effects of Direct-To-Consumer-Advertising on Mental Illness Beliefs and Stigma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Seth A

    2017-07-01

    Despite widespread use, little is known about how video direct-to-consumer-advertising (DTCA) influences beliefs about or stigma towards mental illness. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a medication advertisement on beliefs and stigma towards one mental disorder-bipolar disorder. A total of 424 participants were randomly assigned to view a medication or automobile advertisement and completed measures of beliefs and stigma towards bipolar disorder before and immediately after the advertisement. The medication advertisement did not lead to changes in perception of biological etiology, but did lead to increases in perception of prevalence, treatability, and controllability. No substantive changes were noted in stigma. In contrast to previous research and speculation, DTCA did not have an immediate, substantial impact on stigma or contribute to the "medicalization" of mental disorders.

  19. Self-reported responsiveness to direct-to-consumer drug advertising and medication use: results of a national survey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Somes Grant W

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Direct-to-consumer (DTC marketing of pharmaceuticals is controversial, yet effective. Little is known relating patterns of medication use to patient responsiveness to DTC. Methods We conducted a secondary analysis of data collected in national telephone survey on knowledge of and attitudes toward DTC advertisements. The survey of 1081 U.S. adults (response rate = 65% was conducted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA. Responsiveness to DTC was defined as an affirmative response to the item: "Has an advertisement for a prescription drug ever caused you to ask a doctor about a medical condition or illness of your own that you had not talked to a doctor about before?" Patients reported number of prescription and over-the-counter (OTC medicines taken as well as demographic and personal health information. Results Of 771 respondents who met study criteria, 195 (25% were responsive to DTC. Only 7% respondents taking no prescription were responsive, whereas 45% of respondents taking 5 or more prescription medications were responsive. This trend remained significant (p trend .0009 even when controlling for age, gender, race, educational attainment, income, self-reported health status, and whether respondents "liked" DTC advertising. There was no relationship between the number of OTC medications taken and the propensity to discuss health-related problems in response to DTC advertisements (p = .4. Conclusion There is a strong cross-sectional relationship between the number of prescription, but not OTC, drugs used and responsiveness to DTC advertising. Although this relationship could be explained by physician compliance with patient requests for medications, it is also plausible that DTC advertisements have a particular appeal to patients prone to taking multiple medications. Outpatients motivated to discuss medical conditions based on their exposure to DTC advertising may require a careful medication history to evaluate for

  20. Self-reported responsiveness to direct-to-consumer drug advertising and medication use: results of a national survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dieringer, Nicholas J; Kukkamma, Lisa; Somes, Grant W; Shorr, Ronald I

    2011-09-23

    ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Direct-to-consumer (DTC) marketing of pharmaceuticals is controversial, yet effective. Little is known relating patterns of medication use to patient responsiveness to DTC. METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis of data collected in national telephone survey on knowledge of and attitudes toward DTC advertisements. The survey of 1081 U.S. adults (response rate = 65%) was conducted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Responsiveness to DTC was defined as an affirmative response to the item: "Has an advertisement for a prescription drug ever caused you to ask a doctor about a medical condition or illness of your own that you had not talked to a doctor about before?" Patients reported number of prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medicines taken as well as demographic and personal health information. RESULTS: Of 771 respondents who met study criteria, 195 (25%) were responsive to DTC. Only 7% respondents taking no prescription were responsive, whereas 45% of respondents taking 5 or more prescription medications were responsive. This trend remained significant (p trend .0009) even when controlling for age, gender, race, educational attainment, income, self-reported health status, and whether respondents "liked" DTC advertising. There was no relationship between the number of OTC medications taken and the propensity to discuss health-related problems in response to DTC advertisements (p = .4). CONCLUSION: There is a strong cross-sectional relationship between the number of prescription, but not OTC, drugs used and responsiveness to DTC advertising. Although this relationship could be explained by physician compliance with patient requests for medications, it is also plausible that DTC advertisements have a particular appeal to patients prone to taking multiple medications. Outpatients motivated to discuss medical conditions based on their exposure to DTC advertising may require a careful medication history to evaluate for therapeutic

  1. The Information Technology Infrastructure for the Translational Genomics Core and the Partners Biobank at Partners Personalized Medicine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Natalie Boutin

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The Biobank and Translational Genomics core at Partners Personalized Medicine requires robust software and hardware. This Information Technology (IT infrastructure enables the storage and transfer of large amounts of data, drives efficiencies in the laboratory, maintains data integrity from the time of consent to the time that genomic data is distributed for research, and enables the management of complex genetic data. Here, we describe the functional components of the research IT infrastructure at Partners Personalized Medicine and how they integrate with existing clinical and research systems, review some of the ways in which this IT infrastructure maintains data integrity and security, and discuss some of the challenges inherent to building and maintaining such infrastructure.

  2. ANNOTATING INDIVIDUAL HUMAN GENOMES*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torkamani, Ali; Scott-Van Zeeland, Ashley A.; Topol, Eric J.; Schork, Nicholas J.

    2014-01-01

    Advances in DNA sequencing technologies have made it possible to rapidly, accurately and affordably sequence entire individual human genomes. As impressive as this ability seems, however, it will not likely to amount to much if one cannot extract meaningful information from individual sequence data. Annotating variations within individual genomes and providing information about their biological or phenotypic impact will thus be crucially important in moving individual sequencing projects forward, especially in the context of the clinical use of sequence information. In this paper we consider the various ways in which one might annotate individual sequence variations and point out limitations in the available methods for doing so. It is arguable that, in the foreseeable future, DNA sequencing of individual genomes will become routine for clinical, research, forensic, and personal purposes. We therefore also consider directions and areas for further research in annotating genomic variants. PMID:21839162

  3. How may consumer policy empower consumers for sustainable lifestyles?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thøgersen, John

    2005-01-01

    Consumer policy can empower consumers for changing lifestyles by reducing personal constraints and limitations, but it should also attempt to loosen some of the external constraints that make changes towards a more sustainable lifestyle difficult. In terms of reducing consumers' subjectively felt...... restrictions on their ability to change lifestyle, the two approaches are equivalent. Policies that increase a feeling of empowerment may also have a positive effect on consumers' motivation to make an effort, thus amplifying its effects. In this paper both types of constraints on lifestyle changes...

  4. Association of health profession and direct-to-consumer marketing with infant formula choice and switching.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Yi; Labiner-Wolfe, Judith; Huang, Hui; Choiniere, Conrad J; Fein, Sara B

    2013-03-01

    Infant formula is marketed by health professionals and directly to consumers. Formula marketing has been shown to reduce breastfeeding, but the relation with switching formulas has not been studied. Willingness to switch formula can enable families to spend less on formula. Data are from the Infant Feeding Practices Study II, a United States national longitudinal study. Mothers were asked about media exposure to formula information during pregnancy, receiving formula samples or coupons at hospital discharge, reasons for their formula choice at infant age 1 month, and formula switching at infant ages 2, 5, 7, and 9 months. Analysis included 1,700 mothers who fed formula at infant age 1 month; it used logistic regression and longitudinal data analysis methods to evaluate the association between marketing and formula choice and switching. Most mothers were exposed to both types of formula marketing. Mothers who received a sample of formula from the hospital at birth were more likely to use the hospital formula 1 month later. Mothers who chose formula at 1 month because their doctor recommended it were less likely to switch formula than those who chose in response to direct-to-consumer marketing. Mothers who chose a formula because it was used in the hospital were less likely to switch if they had not been exposed to Internet web-based formula information when pregnant or if they received a formula sample in the mail. Marketing formula through health professionals may decrease mothers' willingness to switch formula. © 2013, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2013, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  5. Annotating individual human genomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torkamani, Ali; Scott-Van Zeeland, Ashley A; Topol, Eric J; Schork, Nicholas J

    2011-10-01

    Advances in DNA sequencing technologies have made it possible to rapidly, accurately and affordably sequence entire individual human genomes. As impressive as this ability seems, however, it will not likely amount to much if one cannot extract meaningful information from individual sequence data. Annotating variations within individual genomes and providing information about their biological or phenotypic impact will thus be crucially important in moving individual sequencing projects forward, especially in the context of the clinical use of sequence information. In this paper we consider the various ways in which one might annotate individual sequence variations and point out limitations in the available methods for doing so. It is arguable that, in the foreseeable future, DNA sequencing of individual genomes will become routine for clinical, research, forensic, and personal purposes. We therefore also consider directions and areas for further research in annotating genomic variants. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Building sustainable supply chains: consumer choice or direct management?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hebditch, David; Blackmore, Emma

    2012-06-15

    Putting a 'carbon label' on products to show how much carbon dioxide is emitted during their production, transport and disposal has been heralded as a powerful route to sustainability within companies' supply chains. Several leading firms have joined the Carbon Trust carbon labelling scheme over the past five years, including UK-based retail giant Tesco, which as early as 2007 promised to use carbon labels on all its products. But earlier this year, the multinational said it was dropping carbon labels and instead directly managing its supply chains. Many other companies are similarly choosing direct management over consumer choice as the most effective route to emission reductions. In so doing, they are shouldering greater responsibility for the emissions and impacts of their supply chains. But environmental concerns must not be allowed to trump development needs and companies must not unfairly disadvantage smaller-scale producers in developing countries.

  7. NCTA v. FCC - Do Commercial Free Speech Justifications Trump Consumers' Personal Data Protection Rights? Answer To Shape Mobile Advertising Industry

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cleff, Evelyne Beatrix; King, Nancy J.

    2010-01-01

    telecommunication carriers' personal data sharing practices in order to protect their customers' data privacy when the regulation restricts use of the data for marketing purposes. In this case National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA) challenged a new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rule...... requiring carriers to obtain customers' advance approval before releasing their telephone record information for marketing purposes. NCTA claimed the FCC's new opt-in rule violates companies' First Amendment right to engage in commercial speech. At stake in this appeal was the constitutionally required...... balance between protecting consumers' information privacy in an era of pervasive data processing and protecting the rights of marketers to engage in protected commercial free speech that involves using customers' personal information. A ruling against the FCC would have limited the use of government...

  8. Direct-to-consumer DNA testing: the fallout for individuals and their families unexpectedly learning of their donor conception origins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crawshaw, Marilyn

    2017-07-11

    Increasing numbers of donor-conceived individuals (and/or parents) are seeking individuals genetically related through donor conception. One route is through 'direct-to-consumer' (DTC) DNA testing, prompting calls for fertility services to alert donors and prospective parents to the increasing unsustainability of anonymity and secrecy. The complexity of interpreting DNA results in this context has also been discussed, including their lack of absolute certainty, as has the need for professional and peer support. This commentary highlights a different 'threat', from individuals learning of their donor-conception origins through the use of such tests by themselves or relatives for such purposes as genealogy or health checks. It illustrates the personal complexities faced by three older women and their families on learning not only of their genetic relationship to each other but also to 15 more donor-related siblings. DTC DNA services are a growing feature of modern life. This commentary raises ethical questions about their responsibilities towards those inadvertently learning of donor conception origins and the responsibilities of fertility services to inform prospective parents and donors of this new phenomenon. Considerations of how and when parents should tell their children of their donor-conception origins here instead become how and when children should inform their parents.

  9. Access and Quality of Care in Direct-to-Consumer Telemedicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uscher-Pines, Lori; Mulcahy, Andrew; Cowling, David; Hunter, Gerald; Burns, Rachel; Mehrotra, Ateev

    2016-04-01

    Direct-to-consumer (DTC) telemedicine serves millions of patients; however, there is limited research on the care provided. This study compared the quality of care at Teladoc ( www.teladoc.com ), a large DTC telemedicine company, with that at physician offices and compared access to care for Teladoc users and nonusers. Claims from all enrollees 18-64 years of age in the California Public Employees' Retirement System health maintenance organization between April 2012 and October 2013 were analyzed. We compared the performance of Teladoc and physician offices on applicable Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set measures. Using geographic information system analyses, we compared Teladoc users and nonusers with respect to rural location and available primary care physicians. Of enrollees offered Teladoc (n = 233,915), 3,043 adults had a total of 4,657 Teladoc visits. For the pharyngitis performance measure (ordering strep test), Teladoc performed worse than physician offices (3% versus 50%, p located within a healthcare professional shortage area (odds ratio = 1.12, p = 0.10) or rural location (odds ratio = 1.0, p = 0.10). Teladoc providers were less likely to order diagnostic testing and had poorer performance on appropriate antibiotic prescribing for bronchitis. Teladoc users were not preferentially located in underserved communities. Short-term needs include ongoing monitoring of quality and additional marketing and education to increase telemedicine use among underserved patients.

  10. Influence of non-economic factors in the use of personal care products: the case of male Peruvian consumer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Otto Regalado Pezúa

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Over the past decade, the supply of male personal care products and services has increased considerably on a global scale. In the case of the Peruvian market, this phenomenon is still incipient despite a favorable economic outlook that has boosted the consumption in different categories. This research identifies factors that influence the consumption decision of this kind of products for the male segment. To do this, the authors used the Theory of Planned Behavior of Ajzen. The results show that male consumers´ perception of his environment (subjective norm restrains the intention of consumption of personal care products, even though the male consumer has a positive attitude toward using of these products. These factors would reflect the existence of deeply rooted taboos in Peruvian culture, based on a traditional view of man.

  11. Direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising, 1989-1998. A content analysis of conditions, targets, inducements, and appeals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bell, R A; Kravitz, R L; Wilkes, M S

    2000-04-01

    We conducted a content analysis of consumer-targeted prescription drug advertisements to explore trends in prevalence, shifts in the medical conditions for which drugs are promoted, reliance on financial and nonmonetary inducements, and appeals used to attract public interest. We collected the drug advertisements appearing in 18 consumer magazines from 1989 through 1998. Two judges independently coded each advertisement and placed it in a category pertaining to the target audience, use of inducements, and product benefits (mean kappa=0.93). We employed descriptive statistics, cross-tabulations, and curve estimation procedures. A total of 320 distinct advertisements were identified, representing 101 brands and 14 medical conditions. New advertisement and brand introductions increased dramatically during this decade. Advertisements for drugs used for dermatologic, human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), and obstetric/gynecologic conditions were most common. Almost all of the advertisements were aimed at the potential user of the drug, not third-party intermediaries such as parents and spouses. Although most advertisements were gender-neutral, women were more likely to be exclusively targeted. One eighth of the advertisements offered a monetary incentive (eg, a rebate or money-back guarantee), and one third made an offer of additional information in printed or audio/video form. The most common appeals used were effectiveness, symptom control, innovativeness, and convenience. Consumer-directed prescription drug advertising has increased dramatically during the past decade. The pharmaceutical industry is turning to this type of advertising to generate interest in its products. Our data may be useful to physicians who want to stay abreast of the treatments that are being directly marketed to their patients.

  12. Consumer use and response to online third-party raw DNA interpretation services.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Catharine; Cahill, Tiernan J; Parlato, Andrew; Wertz, Blake; Zhong, Qiankun; Cunningham, Tricia Norkunas; Cummings, James J

    2018-01-01

    With the availability of raw DNA generated from direct-to-consumer (DTC) testing companies, there has been a proliferation of third-party online services that are available to interpret the raw data for both genealogy and/or health purposes. This study examines the current landscape and downstream clinical implications of consumer use of third-party services. Study participants were recruited online from social media platforms. A total of 321 survey respondents reported using third-party services for raw DNA interpretation. Participants were highly motivated to explore raw DNA for ancestral information (67%), individual health implications (62%), or both (40%). Participants primarily used one of seven companies to interpret raw DNA; 73% used more than one. Company choice was driven by the type of results offered (51%), price (45%), and online reviews (31%). Approximately 30% of participants shared results with a medical provider and 21% shared with more than one. Outcomes of sharing ranged from disinterest/discounting of the information to diagnosis of genetic conditions. Participants were highly satisfied with their decision to analyze raw DNA (M = 4.54/5), yet challenges in understanding interpretation results were reported irrespective of satisfaction ratings. Consumers face challenges in understanding the results and may seek out clinical assistance in interpreting their raw DNA results. © 2017 The Authors. Molecular Genetics & Genomic Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  13. Genetic counseling and the ethical issues around direct to consumer genetic testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hawkins, Alice K; Ho, Anita

    2012-06-01

    Over the last several years, direct to consumer(DTC) genetic testing has received increasing attention in the public, healthcare and academic realms. DTC genetic testing companies face considerable criticism and scepticism,particularly from the medical and genetic counseling community. This raises the question of what specific aspects of DTC genetic testing provoke concerns, and conversely,promises, for genetic counselors. This paper addresses this question by exploring DTC genetic testing through an ethic allens. By considering the fundamental ethical approaches influencing genetic counseling (the ethic of care and principle-based ethics) we highlight the specific ethical concerns raised by DTC genetic testing companies. Ultimately,when considering the ethics of DTC testing in a genetic counseling context, we should think of it as a balancing act. We need careful and detailed consideration of the risks and troubling aspects of such testing, as well as the potentially beneficial direct and indirect impacts of the increased availability of DTC genetic testing. As a result it is essential that genetic counselors stay informed and involved in the ongoing debate about DTC genetic testing and DTC companies. Doing so will ensure that the ethical theories and principles fundamental to the profession of genetic counseling are promoted not just in traditional counseling sessions,but also on a broader level. Ultimately this will help ensure that the public enjoys the benefits of an increasingly genetic based healthcare system.

  14. Evaluation of Consumer Product Co-occurrence to Inform Chemical Exposure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Consumer products are an important target of chemical innovation. Used daily for personal hygiene, home care, disinfection and cleaning, consumer products provide a host of benefits, and also an efficient delivery vehicle for a variety of chemicals into our homes and bodies. Al...

  15. Pharmacy students' opinions of direct-to-consumer advertising: a pilot study at one university.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harrington, Amanda R; Desselle, Shane P; Apgar, David A; Hesselbacher, Elizabeth; Pié, Aaron; Quesnel, Aimee; Warholak, Terri L

    2013-01-01

    Direct-to-consumer advertisement (DTCA) of prescription medications has become an important informational source for health care consumers. As future health care professionals on the front line of potential communication and dispensing of products emerging from DTCA, it is important to elicit the attitudes of student-pharmacists. This study aims to (1) evaluate the validity of the DTCA attitudinal questionnaire using Rasch rating scale analysis and (2) investigate the attitudes of pharmacy students toward DTCA and determine whether these attitudes were associated with years of pharmacy education and demographic characteristics. This investigation used a cross-sectional print-based questionnaire to evaluate the attitudes of pharmacy students toward DTCA of prescription medications. The 16-item questionnaire included items addressing the attitudes of pharmacy students toward DTCA with respect to patients' knowledge of medications, pharmacists' interaction with patients, and overall consumer judgment of medical prescriptions. Analyses included Rasch analysis and a multiple linear regression. A total of 243 students submitted usable questionnaires (85% response rate). Item response categories were collapsed from 5 categories to 3, and 4 items were removed to achieve acceptable Rasch model fit. Pharmacy students demonstrated little difficulty in agreeing with the statements suggesting that DTCA helps patients take a more active role in health care and had the most difficulty in agreeing with items suggesting that DTCA may lead to inappropriate prescribing to satisfy patient requests. Students' overall support for DTCA was the only variable that predicted the questionnaire score (P<.001). In conclusion, the Rasch analysis evaluated the psychometric properties of the instrument and identified the necessity to adapt the questionnaire from previous iterations to adequately fit the student population. Future research should examine factors that contribute to the variance in

  16. Effects of image congruency on persuasiveness and recall in direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kiernicki, Kristen; Helme, Donald W

    2017-01-01

    Although direct-to-consumer (DTC) prescription drug advertising is regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, content analyses suggest advertisers may not disclose drug risks in the same way they describe drug benefits. This study tests the relationship between image congruency in televised DTC advertisements, recall of risks/benefits, and perceived persuasiveness. Advertisements for Nasonex, Advair, and Lunesta were shown to college students in either their original (image incongruent) or modified (image neutral) form. Risks were easier to recall with image-neutral advertisements. Gender also had a significant interaction effect, suggesting that males and females process DTC advertisement differently.

  17. Post-consumer use efficacies of preservatives in personal care and topical drug products: relationship to preservative category.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ravita, Timothy D; Tanner, Ralph S; Ahearn, Donald G; Arms, Erin L; Crockett, Patrick W

    2009-01-01

    Ninety-six used personal care and topical OTC drug items collected from consumers in the USA were examined for the presence of microbial contaminants. Of the eye and face product type containing global preservative chemistries (i.e., acceptable for use in Japan without major restrictions), 55% yielded numbers of microorganisms in excess of 500 CFU/g (P preservative chemistries, 79% yielded numbers of microorganisms in excess of 500 CFU/g (P preservative chemistries accounted for 88% (n = 14) of the products that had microbial contents above 10(4) CFU/g (P preserved with global preservative chemistries did not maintain as adequate preservation as products with non-global preservatives.

  18. Communication Strategies in Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Advertising (DTCA): Application of the Six Segment Message Strategy Wheel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ju, Ilwoo; Park, Jin Seong

    2015-01-01

    This study addresses a void in the literature on direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising (DTCA) with a theory-based content analysis. The findings indicate that Taylor's communication strategy wheel provides insight into what and how pharmaceutical marketers communicate with consumers by means of DTCA. Major findings are summarized as follows: (a) In most DTC ads, informational and transformational message themes and creative approaches were simultaneously used, indicating a combination strategy; (b) DTCA message themes were associated with creative strategies in alignment with Taylor's framework; and (c) message themes and creative strategies varied across therapeutic categories and DTCA categories with different levels of ad spending. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

  19. Human genetics and genomics a decade after the release of the draft sequence of the human genome

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-01

    Substantial progress has been made in human genetics and genomics research over the past ten years since the publication of the draft sequence of the human genome in 2001. Findings emanating directly from the Human Genome Project, together with those from follow-on studies, have had an enormous impact on our understanding of the architecture and function of the human genome. Major developments have been made in cataloguing genetic variation, the International HapMap Project, and with respect to advances in genotyping technologies. These developments are vital for the emergence of genome-wide association studies in the investigation of complex diseases and traits. In parallel, the advent of high-throughput sequencing technologies has ushered in the 'personal genome sequencing' era for both normal and cancer genomes, and made possible large-scale genome sequencing studies such as the 1000 Genomes Project and the International Cancer Genome Consortium. The high-throughput sequencing and sequence-capture technologies are also providing new opportunities to study Mendelian disorders through exome sequencing and whole-genome sequencing. This paper reviews these major developments in human genetics and genomics over the past decade. PMID:22155605

  20. The effects of direct-to-consumer advertising on medication use among Medicaid children with asthma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McRoy, Luceta; Weech-Maldonado, Robert; Bradford, W David; Menachemi, Nir; Morrisey, Michael; Kilgore, Meredith

    2016-01-01

    Asthma medication adherence is low, particularly among Medicaid enrollees. There has been much debate on the impact of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) on health care use, but the impact on medication use among children with asthma has been unexamined. The study sample included 180,584 children between the ages of 5 and 18 with an asthma diagnosis from a combined dataset of Medicaid Analytic eXtract and national advertising data. We found that DTCA expenditure during the study period was significantly associated with an increase in asthma medication use. However, the effectiveness declined after a certain level.

  1. Attitudes about regulation among direct-to-consumer genetic testing customers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bollinger, Juli Murphy; Green, Robert C; Kaufman, David

    2013-05-01

    The first regulatory rulings by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing services are expected soon. As the process of regulating these and other genetic tests moves ahead, it is important to understand the preferences of DTC genetic testing customers about the regulation of these products. An online survey of customers of three DTC genetic testing companies was conducted 2-8 months after they had received their results. Participants were asked about the importance of regulating the companies selling DTC genetic tests. Most of the 1,046 respondents responded that it would be important to have a nongovernmental (84%) or governmental agency (73%) monitor DTC companies' claims to ensure the consistency with scientific evidence. However, 66% also felt that it was important that DTC tests be available without governmental oversight. Nearly, all customers favored a policy to ensure that insurers and law enforcement officials could not access their information. Although many DTC customers want access to genetic testing services without restrictions imposed by the government regulation, most also favor an organization operating alongside DTC companies that will ensure that the claims made by the companies are consistent with sound scientific evidence. This seeming contradiction may indicate that DTC customers want to ensure that they have unfettered access to high-quality information. Additionally, policies to help ensure privacy of data would be welcomed by customers, despite relatively high confidence in the companies.

  2. Genome Engineering for Personalized Arthritis Therapeutics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adkar, Shaunak S; Brunger, Jonathan M; Willard, Vincent P; Wu, Chia-Lung; Gersbach, Charles A; Guilak, Farshid

    2017-10-01

    Arthritis represents a family of complex joint pathologies responsible for the majority of musculoskeletal conditions. Nearly all diseases within this family, including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and juvenile idiopathic arthritis, are chronic conditions with few or no disease-modifying therapeutics available. Advances in genome engineering technology, most recently with CRISPR-Cas9, have revolutionized our ability to interrogate and validate genetic and epigenetic elements associated with chronic diseases such as arthritis. These technologies, together with cell reprogramming methods, including the use of induced pluripotent stem cells, provide a platform for human disease modeling. We summarize new evidence from genome-wide association studies and genomics that substantiates a genetic basis for arthritis pathogenesis. We also review the potential contributions of genome engineering in the development of new arthritis therapeutics. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Trends in direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription contraceptives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Min H; Bartz, Deborah; Avorn, Jerry; Seeger, John D

    2016-05-01

    Despite much speculation about the role of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) in increasing demand for prescription contraceptives in the United States, there is little published research on this topic. We sought to quantify the prevalence and magnitude of DTCA for prescription contraceptives over the last decade. Using cross-sectional data from January 2005 through December 2014, we performed descriptive analyses on trends in DTCA expenditure for prescription contraceptives. We also quantified the amount of DTCA according to contraceptive method category and individual brand. During the study period, pharmaceutical companies spent a total of US$1.57 billion in the United States on DTCA of prescription contraceptives. Annual expenditure for contraceptive DTCA reached a peak value of US$260 million in 2008, with a progressive decline to a nadir of US$69 million by 2013. Of the contraceptive methods, oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) have been the most heavily promoted, with Yaz (drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol) - the most advertised brand - accounting for US$347 million of cumulative DTCA expenditure. However, DTCA spending on OCPs peaked in 2007 and was overtaken in 2012 by the DTCA of long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs), the contraceptive method now receiving the largest amount of DTCA promotion. DTCA is a major form of promotion for prescription contraceptives. Recent trends in DTCA expenditure indicate a shift from promotion of the OCPs to the LARCs. DTCA's effect on provider and patient utilization of various contraceptive methods has yet to be determined. This study provides the first quantitative evaluation of DTCA of prescription contraceptive methods and reveals DTCA's importance as a form of promotion. Recent DTCA trends indicate increased promotion of LARCs, coinciding with greater uptake of LARC methods by patients and prescribers. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Pre-market approval and post-market direct-to-consumer advertising of medical devices in Australia: a case study of breast cancer screening and diagnostic devices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vreugdenburg, T D; Willis, C D; Mundy, L; Hiller, J E

    2013-01-01

    While research investigating direct-to-consumer advertising of therapeutic goods in Australia has historically focused on prescription medicines, recent action taken by regulators against companies promoting medical devices has placed the industry into the spotlight. Despite the need to effectively regulate direct-to-consumer advertising of medical devices due to its potential harms, inadequacies in the current regulatory system have been noted. Under the present system, devices with a questionable evidence base may enter the Australian marketplace without an evaluation of their effectiveness, and regulators are reliant on industry self-regulation and consumer complaints to draw attention to cases of advertising misconduct. Although some successes in the present system have been observed, we argue that the outlined inadequacies continue to enable the promotion of medical devices to consumers without thorough or sufficient examination of evidence. © 2011 The Authors; Internal Medicine Journal © 2011 Royal Australasian College of Physicians.

  5. Direct-to-consumer online genetic testing and the four principles: an analysis of the ethical issues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wasson, Katherine; Cook, E David; Helzlsouer, Kathy

    2006-01-01

    The development of genetic tests marketed and sold direct-to-consumers (DTC) via the internet raises moral concerns and debate about their appropriateness and ethical and clinical significance. These tests are offered for a wide range of diseases and conditions, and the mutations have variable penetrance and associated risk. A number of these tests lack data on their accuracy and reliability, making interpretation of results difficult. DTC genetic testing is undertaken outside the context of the physician-patient relationship and may lack appropriate individual and family genetic counseling, leaving the consumer vulnerable to potential harms, such as misinterpretation of results, including false positive or false reassurance, with limited or no benefits. Beauchamp and Childress's four principles of biomedical ethics provide a framework for analyzing the ethical issues raised by DTC genetic testing. We argue that the potential harms outweigh the potential benefits of such tests, that respect for autonomy should be limited in light of potential harm from DTC testing, and that the availability of genetic testing over the internet may be considered unfair and unjust and affect resource allocation by placing an unfair burden on primary care physicians. In light of the moral issues posed by these tests, practical responses are suggested in the areas of consumer education, medical education, and interaction with commercial companies.

  6. Genomic research and data-mining technology: implications for personal privacy and informed consent.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tavani, Herman T

    2004-01-01

    This essay examines issues involving personal privacy and informed consent that arise at the intersection of information and communication technology (ICT) and population genomics research. I begin by briefly examining the ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI) program requirements that were established to guide researchers working on the Human Genome Project (HGP). Next I consider a case illustration involving deCODE Genetics, a privately owned genetic company in Iceland, which raises some ethical concerns that are not clearly addressed in the current ELSI guidelines. The deCODE case also illustrates some ways in which an ICT technique known as data mining has both aided and posed special challenges for researchers working in the field of population genomics. On the one hand, data-mining tools have greatly assisted researchers in mapping the human genome and in identifying certain "disease genes" common in specific populations (which, in turn, has accelerated the process of finding cures for diseases tha affect those populations). On the other hand, this technology has significantly threatened the privacy of research subjects participating in population genomics studies, who may, unwittingly, contribute to the construction of new groups (based on arbitrary and non-obvious patterns and statistical correlations) that put those subjects at risk for discrimination and stigmatization. In the final section of this paper I examine some ways in which the use of data mining in the context of population genomics research poses a critical challenge for the principle of informed consent, which traditionally has played a central role in protecting the privacy interests of research subjects participating in epidemiological studies.

  7. NCTA v. FCC - Do Commercial Free Speech Justifications Trump Consumers' Personal Data Protection Rights? Answer To Shape Mobile Advertising Industry

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cleff, Evelyne Beatrix; King, Nancy J.

    2010-01-01

    's right to communicate with their customers. Considering privacy risks associated with advances in computer technology, the complexities of modern information processing and evolving mobile advertising (m-advertising) practices, privacy regulations should not be equated with unwarranted speech regulations...... balance between protecting consumers' information privacy in an era of pervasive data processing and protecting the rights of marketers to engage in protected commercial free speech that involves using customers' personal information. A ruling against the FCC would have limited the use of government...... to support the growth of the global mobile advertising (m-advertising) industry....

  8. Factors associated with the persuasiveness of direct-to-consumer advertising on HPV vaccination among young women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manika, Danae; Ball, Jennifer G; Stout, Patricia A

    2014-01-01

    This quantitative study explored young women's response to direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising (DTCA) for a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. In particular, the study examined (a) the association of factors stemming from consumer research with actual and intended behavioral responses to DTCA for HPV and (b) key elements drawn from commonly used health-related theories to determine the strongest associations with behavioral intentions regarding the HPV vaccine. Survey findings showed that vaccinated women indicated that DTCA played a role in their decision to get vaccinated against HPV more so than those who were not vaccinated. Trust in DTCA for an HPV vaccine brand was significantly related to intentions to seek more information about the vaccine. Also, perceived barriers had the only significant association with behavioral intentions when taking into account perceived threat and response efficacy. These results provide practical implications for key industry decision makers and health communication professionals on the design of effective theory-based health communication message content for an HPV vaccine brand with consequent social implications.

  9. 77 FR 39222 - Consumer Use of Reverse Mortgages

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-07-02

    ... influence reverse mortgage consumers' decision-making, consumers' use of reverse mortgage loan proceeds.... Sensitive personal information such as account numbers or Social Security numbers should not be included... personal information that could be used to identify an individual consumer or account, nor should they...

  10. CONCEPTUAL MODEL OF CONSUMERS TRUST TO ONLINE SHOPS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. Dubovyk

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available In the article the conceptual model of the major factors that influence consumers trust in online shop: reliability of online store, reliable information system for making purchases online, factors of ethic interactiveness (security, third-party certification, internet-marketing communications of online-shop and other factors – that is divided enterprises of trade and consumers (demographic variables, psychological perception of internet-marketing communications, experience of purchase of commodities are in the Internet. The degree of individual customer trust propensity which reflects the personality traits, culture and previous experience. An implement signs of consumer confidence due to site elements online shop – graphic design, structured design, design of content, design harmonized with perception of target audience.

  11. Direct Costs of Very Old Persons with Subsyndromal Depression: A 5-Year Prospective Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ludvigsson, Mikael; Bernfort, Lars; Marcusson, Jan; Wressle, Ewa; Milberg, Anna

    2018-03-15

    This study aimed to compare, over a 5-year period, the prospective direct healthcare costs and service utilization of persons with subsyndromal depression (SSD) and non-depressive persons (ND), in a population of very old persons. A second aim was to develop a model that predicts direct healthcare costs in very old persons with SSD. A prospective population-based study was undertaken on 85-year-old persons in Sweden. Depressiveness was screened with the Geriatric Depression Scale at baseline and at 1-year follow-up, and the results were classified into ND, SSD, and syndromal depression. Data on individual healthcare costs and service use from a 5-year period were derived from national database registers. Direct costs were compared between categories using Mann-Whitney U tests, and a prediction model was identified with linear regression. For persons with SSD, the direct healthcare costs per month of survival exceeded those of persons with ND by a ratio 1.45 (€634 versus €436), a difference that was significant even after controlling for somatic multimorbidity. The final regression model consisted of five independent variables predicting direct healthcare costs: male sex, activities of daily living functions, loneliness, presence of SSD, and somatic multimorbidity. SSD among very old persons is associated with increased direct healthcare costs independently of somatic multimorbidity. The associations between SSD, somatic multimorbidity, and healthcare costs in the very old need to be analyzed further in order to better guide allocation of resources in health policy. Copyright © 2018 American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. High throughput sequencing and proteomics to identify immunogenic proteins of a new pathogen: the dirty genome approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Greub, Gilbert; Kebbi-Beghdadi, Carole; Bertelli, Claire; Collyn, François; Riederer, Beat M; Yersin, Camille; Croxatto, Antony; Raoult, Didier

    2009-12-23

    With the availability of new generation sequencing technologies, bacterial genome projects have undergone a major boost. Still, chromosome completion needs a costly and time-consuming gap closure, especially when containing highly repetitive elements. However, incomplete genome data may be sufficiently informative to derive the pursued information. For emerging pathogens, i.e. newly identified pathogens, lack of release of genome data during gap closure stage is clearly medically counterproductive. We thus investigated the feasibility of a dirty genome approach, i.e. the release of unfinished genome sequences to develop serological diagnostic tools. We showed that almost the whole genome sequence of the emerging pathogen Parachlamydia acanthamoebae was retrieved even with relatively short reads from Genome Sequencer 20 and Solexa. The bacterial proteome was analyzed to select immunogenic proteins, which were then expressed and used to elaborate the first steps of an ELISA. This work constitutes the proof of principle for a dirty genome approach, i.e. the use of unfinished genome sequences of pathogenic bacteria, coupled with proteomics to rapidly identify new immunogenic proteins useful to develop in the future specific diagnostic tests such as ELISA, immunohistochemistry and direct antigen detection. Although applied here to an emerging pathogen, this combined dirty genome sequencing/proteomic approach may be used for any pathogen for which better diagnostics are needed. These genome sequences may also be very useful to develop DNA based diagnostic tests. All these diagnostic tools will allow further evaluations of the pathogenic potential of this obligate intracellular bacterium.

  13. Fab the coming revolution on your desktop : from personal computers to personal fabrication

    CERN Document Server

    Gershenfeld, Neil

    2005-01-01

    What if you could someday put the manufacturing power of an automobile plant on your desktop? According to Neil Gershenfeld, the renowned MIT scientist and inventor, the next big thing is personal fabrication-the ability to design and produce your own products, in your own home, with a machine that combines consumer electronics and industrial tools. Personal fabricators are about to revolutionize the world just as personal computers did a generation ago, and Fab shows us how.

  14. Consumer Response to Gastrointestinal Illness Perceived To Originate from Food Service Facilities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garnett, Erin S; Gretsch, Stephanie R; Null, Clair; Moe, Christine L

    2016-10-01

    Consumer responses to food product recalls have been documented, but there is little information on how consumers respond to illnesses or outbreaks associated with food service facilities. This study uses an on-line survey of 885 adults conducted in 2012 to determine how respondents changed their dining behavior following personal experiences with and secondhand reports of gastrointestinal illness believed to be associated with food service facilities. In response to personally experiencing gastrointestinal illness that they attributed to a food service facility, 90% of survey participants reported that they avoided the implicated facility for a time following the incident; almost one-half decided to never return to the facility they believed had made them ill. In response to a secondhand report of gastrointestinal illness, 86% of respondents reported they would avoid the implicated facility for a time, and 22% said they would never return to the facility. After both personal experiences of illness and secondhand reports of illness, consumer responses were significantly more severe toward the implicated facility than toward all other food service facilities. Frequent diners avoided facilities for shorter periods of time and were less likely to never go back to a facility than were infrequent diners. The survey results indicate that 24 to 97 fewer meals were purchased per respondent, or a 11 to 20% reduction in meals purchased outside the home, in the year following respondents' illness. Future estimates of the economic burden of foodborne illnesses, including those caused by noroviruses, should consider the impacts on the food service industry attributable to changes in consumer behavior, in addition to health care costs and loss of productivity.

  15. Genome and Transcriptome of Clostridium phytofermentans, Catalyst for the Direct Conversion of Plant Feedstocks to Fuels.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elsa Petit

    Full Text Available Clostridium phytofermentans was isolated from forest soil and is distinguished by its capacity to directly ferment plant cell wall polysaccharides into ethanol as the primary product, suggesting that it possesses unusual catabolic pathways. The objective of the present study was to understand the molecular mechanisms of biomass conversion to ethanol in a single organism, Clostridium phytofermentans, by analyzing its complete genome and transcriptome during growth on plant carbohydrates. The saccharolytic versatility of C. phytofermentans is reflected in a diversity of genes encoding ATP-binding cassette sugar transporters and glycoside hydrolases, many of which may have been acquired through horizontal gene transfer. These genes are frequently organized as operons that may be controlled individually by the many transcriptional regulators identified in the genome. Preferential ethanol production may be due to high levels of expression of multiple ethanol dehydrogenases and additional pathways maximizing ethanol yield. The genome also encodes three different proteinaceous bacterial microcompartments with the capacity to compartmentalize pathways that divert fermentation intermediates to various products. These characteristics make C. phytofermentans an attractive resource for improving the efficiency and speed of biomass conversion to biofuels.

  16. Personalized medicine: genome, e-health and intelligent systems. Part 1. Genomics and monitoring of clinical data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B. A. Kobrinskii

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The transition to personalized medicine in practical terms should combine the solution of the genomics problems as the basis for possible diseases and phenotypic manifestations that are markers and early signs of emerging pathological changes. Most diseases have their first principles in childhood. Therefore, in all age groups, it is necessary to monitor the minimum deviations and their dynamics, use mobile devices for this purpose and accumulate the received data. Processing big data (Big Data will provide more informative information. On this basis it will be possible to identify analogs for targeted therapy in similar variants of diseases in large databases of publications on the problem of interest.

  17. THE ECONOMICS STUDENT – THE FUTURE BUSINESSMAN. FROM THE AWARENESS OF CONSUMERS' RIGHTS TO THEIR ENFORCEMENT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roman Teodora

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available The student attending courses related to business field is the one who, as a practitioner, will direct his business towards the customer. Educating such students in a spirit of recognition and respect for the rights of consumers will determine them to apply these universal axioms in their future business approach.The objective of the research is to determine the experience achieved by the business student, as a consumer of various services, expressed through the knowledge, claim and protection of his consumer’s rights in case of violation of such rights. In order to achieve this objective, we conducted a survey on a sample of 291 third-year students of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, business management specializations (The Economy of Commerce, Services and Tourism, Marketing and Management. The main results of this research show that only 69.9% of the total sample has ever experienced a situation of violation of consumers` rights, 50.5% of cases being recorded in the service-providing field. Contrary to expectations, ECTS students are those who report the lowest number of situations of this kind for the service-providing field (46.75%, the rest being associated with tangible goods. Also, when experiencing a violation of consumer’s rights, a person goes through bad moods and emotions, which will remain as a mark in the mind of that person for a longer period of time. If the complaint is resolved in favour of the customer, then such a situation generates positive emotions that tend to be evoked for a longer period of time, as well. Putting face to face the actual reaction versus recommended reaction, and analyzing the emotional implications of a person experiencing such a situation of violation of consumer rights, we consider that our work may be useful because it explains to affected consumers the actions to be taken, and namely because it emphasizes the importance of educating the future business people in the spirit

  18. Effectiveness of a personalized ventilation system in reducing personal exposure against directly released simulated cough droplets

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pantelic, J.; Tham, K. W.; Licina, Dusan

    2015-01-01

    manikin at distances between 1 and 4m. Cough droplet concentration was measured with an aerosol spectrometer in the breathing zone of a thermal manikin. Particle image velocimetry was used to characterize the velocity field in the breathing zone. Desktop personalized ventilation substantially reduced......The inhalation intake fraction was used as an indicator to compare effects of desktop personalized ventilation and mixing ventilation on personal exposure to directly released simulated cough droplets. A cough machine was used to simulate cough release from the front, back, and side of a thermal...

  19. Xenopatients 2.0: reprogramming the epigenetic landscapes of patient-derived cancer genomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Menendez, Javier A; Alarcón, Tomás; Corominas-Faja, Bruna; Cuyàs, Elisabet; López-Bonet, Eugeni; Martin, Angel G; Vellon, Luciano

    2014-01-01

    In the science-fiction thriller film Minority Report, a specialized police department called "PreCrime" apprehends criminals identified in advance based on foreknowledge provided by 3 genetically altered humans called "PreCogs". We propose that Yamanaka stem cell technology can be similarly used to (epi)genetically reprogram tumor cells obtained directly from cancer patients and create self-evolving personalized translational platforms to foresee the evolutionary trajectory of individual tumors. This strategy yields a large stem cell population and captures the cancer genome of an affected individual, i.e., the PreCog-induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cancer cells, which are immediately available for experimental manipulation, including pharmacological screening for personalized "stemotoxic" cancer drugs. The PreCog-iPS cancer cells will re-differentiate upon orthotopic injection into the corresponding target tissues of immunodeficient mice (i.e., the PreCrime-iPS mouse avatars), and this in vivo model will run through specific cancer stages to directly explore their biological properties for drug screening, diagnosis, and personalized treatment in individual patients. The PreCog/PreCrime-iPS approach can perform sets of comparisons to directly observe changes in the cancer-iPS cell line vs. a normal iPS cell line derived from the same human genetic background. Genome editing of PreCog-iPS cells could create translational platforms to directly investigate the link between genomic expression changes and cellular malignization that is largely free from genetic and epigenetic noise and provide proof-of-principle evidence for cutting-edge "chromosome therapies" aimed against cancer aneuploidy. We might infer the epigenetic marks that correct the tumorigenic nature of the reprogrammed cancer cell population and normalize the malignant phenotype in vivo. Genetically engineered models of conditionally reprogrammable mice to transiently express the Yamanaka stemness factors

  20. Evaluating online direct-to-consumer marketing of genetic tests: informed choices or buyers beware?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geransar, Rose; Einsiedel, Edna

    2008-03-01

    Commercialization of genetic technologies is expanding the horizons for the marketing and sales of genetic tests direct-to-consumers (DTCs). This study assesses the information provision and access requirements that are in place for genetic tests that are being advertised DTC over the Internet. Sets of key words specific to DTC genetic testing were entered into popular Internet search engines to generate a list of 24 companies engaging in DTC advertising. Company requirements for physician mediation, genetic counseling arrangements, and information provision were coded to develop categories for quantitative analysis within each variable. Results showed that companies offering risk assessment and diagnostic testing were most likely to require that testing be mediated by a clinician, and to recommend physician-arranged counseling. Companies offering enhancement testing were less likely to require physician mediation of services and more likely to provide long-distance genetic counseling. DTC advertisements often provided information on disease etiology; this was most common in the case of multifactorial diseases. The majority of companies cited outside sources to support the validity of claims about clinical utility of the tests being advertised; companies offering risk assessment tests most frequently cited all information sources. DTC advertising for genetic tests that lack independent professional oversight raises troubling questions about appropriate use and interpretation of these tests by consumers and carries implications for the standards of patient care. These implications are discussed in the context of a public healthcare system.

  1. Direct-to-consumer Internet promotion of robotic prostatectomy exhibits varying quality of information.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mirkin, Joshua N; Lowrance, William T; Feifer, Andrew H; Mulhall, John P; Eastham, James E; Elkin, Elena B

    2012-04-01

    Robotic surgery to remove a cancerous prostate has become a popular treatment. Internet marketing of this surgery provides an intriguing case study of direct-to-consumer promotions of medical devices, which are more loosely regulated than pharmaceutical promotions. We investigated whether the claims made in online promotions of robotic prostatectomy were consistent with evidence from comparative effectiveness studies. After performing a search and cross-sectional analysis of websites that mentioned the procedure, we found that many sites claimed benefits that were unsupported by evidence and that 42 percent of the sites failed to mention risks. Most sites were published by hospitals and physicians, which the public may regard as more objective than pages published by manufacturers. Unbalanced information may inappropriately raise patients' expectations. Increasing enforcement and regulation of online promotions may be beyond the capabilities of federal authorities. Thus, the most feasible solution may be for the government and medical societies to promote the production of balanced educational material.

  2. Direct-To-Consumer Internet Promotion Of Robotic Prostatectomy Exhibits Varying Quality Of Information

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mirkin, Joshua N.; Lowrance, William T.; Feifer, Andrew H.; Mulhall, John P.; Eastham, James E.; Elkin, Elena B.

    2013-01-01

    Robotic surgery to remove a cancerous prostate has become a popular treatment. Internet marketing of this surgery provides an intriguing case study of direct-to-consumer promotions of medical devices, which are more loosely regulated than pharmaceutical promotions. We investigated whether the claims made in online promotions of robotic prostatectomy were consistent with evidence from comparative effectiveness studies. After performing a search and crosssectional analysis of websites that mentioned the procedure, we found that many sites claimed benefits that were unsupported by evidence and that 42 percent of the sites failed to mention risks. Most sites were published by hospitals and physicians, which the public may regard as more objective than pages published by manufacturers. Unbalanced information may inappropriately raise patients’ expectations. Increasing enforcement and regulation of online promotions may be beyond the capabilities of federal authorities. Thus, the most feasible solution may be for the government and medical societies to promote the production of balanced educational material. PMID:22492893

  3. Evaluating communication to optimise consumer-directed energy efficiency interventions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wilson, Caroline

    2014-01-01

    Awareness campaigns, education and training programmes, label schemes and smart metering are all initiatives based on the principle that more and better information will encourage consumers to use less energy. Initiatives of this type can realise efficiency savings of up to 30%, and are likely to remain politically popular while preferred by the public to legislation or fines. While widespread, such programmes can have mixed performance, with savings often not reaching potential. This article investigates whether existing theoretical models can usefully be combined for evaluations of such message-oriented programmes. To do this it examines relationships between the variables of the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) and Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) using empirical data from participants exposed to energy behaviour change projects. Analysis revealed that when used together, the theories may offer insight into the impact of messaging. While a single exploratory study can only describe what has occurred, it offers initial evidence to advocate further analysis of the potential of the combined framework. The author offers an illustration of how the framework might be utilised by other schemes by example of its application to a major EU project to save energy in Europe’s public buildings. - Highlights: • Consumer energy saving schemes have huge potential as a route to emissions reduction. • Mixed performance could be addressed by focus on impact of communication. • Evidence from exploratory study supports case for proposed evaluation framework. • Framework is illustrated at varying stages: planning, mid-term, and impact

  4. Strategies to Reduce Person-to-Person Transmission During Widespread Escherichia coli O157:H7 Outbreak

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    2007-06-07

    US consumers were warned not to eat raw spinach during a 2006 E. coli O157:H7 outbreak, but additional warnings about person-to-person transmission could have reduced bacteria spread. Dr. Martin Meltzer discusses the research methods and findings and the authors' success in presenting them clearly and accurately.  Created: 6/7/2007 by CDC, Office of the Director.   Date Released: 6/7/2007.

  5. The moral courage of nursing students who complete advance directives with homeless persons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nash, Woods; Mixer, Sandra J; McArthur, Polly M; Mendola, Annette

    2016-11-01

    Homeless persons in the United States have disproportionately high rates of illness, injury, and mortality and tend to believe that the quality of their end-of-life care will be poor. No studies were found as to whether nurses or nursing students require moral courage to help homeless persons or members of any other demographic complete advance directives. We hypothesized that baccalaureate nursing students require moral courage to help homeless persons complete advance directives. Moral courage was defined as a trait of a person or an action that overcomes fears or other challenges to achieve something of great moral worth. The hypothesis was investigated through a qualitative descriptive study. Aside from the pre-selection of a single variable to study (i.e. moral courage), our investigation was a naturalistic inquiry with narrative hues insofar as it attended to specific words and phrases in the data that were associated with that variable. A total of 15 baccalaureate nursing students at a public university in the United States responded to questionnaires that sought to elicit fears and other challenges that they both expected to experience and actually experienced while helping homeless persons complete advance directives at a local, non-profit service agency. The study was approved by the Internal Review Board of the authors' university, and each participant signed an informed consent form, which stated that the study involved no reasonably foreseeable risks and that participation was voluntary. Before meeting with homeless persons, participants reported that they expected to experience two fears and a challenge: fear of behaving in ways that a homeless person would deem inappropriate, fear of discussing a homeless person's dying and death, and the challenge of adequately conveying the advance directive's meaning and accurately recording a homeless person's end-of-life wishes. In contrast, after their meetings with homeless persons, relatively few participants

  6. Understanding determinants of consumer mobile health usage intentions, assimilation, and channel preferences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rai, Arun; Chen, Liwei; Pye, Jessica; Baird, Aaron

    2013-08-02

    Consumer use of mobile devices as health service delivery aids (mHealth) is growing, especially as smartphones become ubiquitous. However, questions remain as to how consumer traits, health perceptions, situational characteristics, and demographics may affect consumer mHealth usage intentions, assimilation, and channel preferences. We examine how consumers' personal innovativeness toward mobile services (PIMS), perceived health conditions, health care availability, health care utilization, demographics, and socioeconomic status affect their (1) mHealth usage intentions and extent of mHealth assimilation, and (2) preference for mHealth as a complement or substitute for in-person doctor visits. Leveraging constructs from research in technology acceptance, technology assimilation, consumer behavior, and health informatics, we developed a cross-sectional online survey to study determinants of consumers' mHealth usage intentions, assimilation, and channel preferences. Data were collected from 1132 nationally representative US consumers and analyzed by using moderated multivariate regressions and ANOVA. The results indicate that (1) 430 of 1132 consumers in our sample (37.99%) have started using mHealth, (2) a larger quantity of consumers are favorable to using mHealth as a complement to in-person doctor visits (758/1132, 66.96%) than as a substitute (532/1132, 47.00%), and (3) consumers' PIMS and perceived health conditions have significant positive direct influences on mHealth usage intentions, assimilation, and channel preferences, and significant positive interactive influences on assimilation and channel preferences. The independent variables within the moderated regressions collectively explained 59.70% variance in mHealth usage intentions, 60.41% in mHealth assimilation, 34.29% in preference for complementary use of mHealth, and 45.30% in preference for substitutive use of mHealth. In a follow-up ANOVA examination, we found that those who were more favorable

  7. How do students react to analyzing their own genomes in a whole-genome sequencing course?: outcomes of a longitudinal cohort study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanderson, Saskia C; Linderman, Michael D; Zinberg, Randi; Bashir, Ali; Kasarskis, Andrew; Zweig, Micol; Suckiel, Sabrina; Shah, Hardik; Mahajan, Milind; Diaz, George A; Schadt, Eric E

    2015-11-01

    Health-care professionals need to be trained to work with whole-genome sequencing (WGS) in their practice. Our aim was to explore how students responded to a novel genome analysis course that included the option to analyze their own genomes. This was an observational cohort study. Questionnaires were administered before (T3) and after the genome analysis course (T4), as well as 6 months later (T5). In-depth interviews were conducted at T5. All students (n = 19) opted to analyze their own genomes. At T5, 12 of 15 students stated that analyzing their own genomes had been useful. Ten reported they had applied their knowledge in the workplace. Technical WGS knowledge increased (mean of 63.8% at T3, mean of 72.5% at T4; P = 0.005). In-depth interviews suggested that analyzing their own genomes may increase students' motivation to learn and their understanding of the patient experience. Most (but not all) of the students reported low levels of WGS results-related distress and low levels of regret about their decision to analyze their own genomes. Giving students the option of analyzing their own genomes may increase motivation to learn, but some students may experience personal WGS results-related distress and regret. Additional evidence is required before considering incorporating optional personal genome analysis into medical education on a large scale.

  8. Portrait Value Questionnaire's (PVQ) usefulness in explaining quality food-related consumer behaviour

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fotopoulos, C.; Krystallis, Athanasios; Pagiaslis, A.

    2011-01-01

    consumers did not form a separate and clearly diversified cluster if the PVQ inventory functions as a basis for segmentation. Future models should incorporate values together with intermediate-level constructs (e.g. beliefs and/or attitudes) when attempting to predict consumer behaviour towards quality food...... products. Originality/value - The paper shows that while values can be used to meaningfully segment quality food consumers, there is still much to learn regarding the direct and indirect determinants of quality food purchase behaviour.......Purpose - Schwartz's portrait value questionnaire (PVQ) has extensively been used in personal values research. The present paper aims to validate the 40-item PVQ typology, using a nationally representative sample of 997 consumers. The main objective of the survey was to investigate whether higher...

  9. Narrowing the gap of personalized medicine in emerging countries: the case of multiple endocrine neoplasias in Brazil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toledo, Rodrigo A; Sekiya, Tomoko; Longuini, Viviane C; Coutinho, Flavia L; Lourenço, Delmar M; Toledo, Sergio P A

    2012-01-01

    The finished version of the human genome sequence was completed in 2003, and this event initiated a revolution in medical practice, which is usually referred to as the age of genomic or personalized medicine. Genomic medicine aims to be predictive, personalized, preventive, and also participative (4Ps). It offers a new approach to several pathological conditions, although its impact so far has been more evident in mendelian diseases. This article briefly reviews the potential advantages of this approach, and also some issues that may arise in the attempt to apply the accumulated knowledge from genomic medicine to clinical practice in emerging countries. The advantages of applying genomic medicine into clinical practice are obvious, enabling prediction, prevention, and early diagnosis and treatment of several genetic disorders. However, there are also some issues, such as those related to: (a) the need for approval of a law equivalent to the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, which was approved in 2008 in the USA; (b) the need for private and public funding for genetics and genomics; (c) the need for development of innovative healthcare systems that may substantially cut costs (e.g. costs of periodic medical followup); (d) the need for new graduate and postgraduate curricula in which genomic medicine is emphasized; and (e) the need to adequately inform the population and possible consumers of genetic testing, with reference to the basic aspects of genomic medicine.

  10. 17 CFR 248.7 - Form of opt out notice to consumers; opt out methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... the right to disclose nonpublic personal information about your consumer to a nonaffiliated third party; (ii) That the consumer has the right to opt out of that disclosure; and (iii) A reasonable means by which the consumer may exercise the opt out right. (2) Examples—(i) Adequate opt out notice. You...

  11. Consumers’ intention to use health recommendation systems to receive personalized nutrition advice

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wendel, S.; Dellaert, B.G.C.; Ronteltap, A.; Trijp, van J.C.M.

    2013-01-01

    Background: Sophisticated recommendation systems are used more and more in the health sector to assist consumers in healthy decision making. In this study we investigate consumers' evaluation of hypothetical health recommendation systems that provide personalized nutrition advice. We examine

  12. A 3-stage model for assessing the probable economic effects of direct-to-consumer advertising of pharmaceuticals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vogel, Ronald J; Ramachandran, Sulabha; Zachry, Woodie M

    2003-01-01

    The pharmaceutical industry employs a variety of marketing strategies that have previously been directed primarily toward physicians. However, mass media direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising of prescription drugs has emerged as a ubiquitous promotional strategy. This article explores the economics of DTC advertising in greater depth than has been done in the past by using a 3-stage economic model to assess the pertinent literature and to show the probable effects of DTC advertising in the United States. Economics literature on the subject was searched using the Journal of Economic Literature. Health services literature was searched using computer callback devices. Spending on DTC advertising in the United States increased from $17 million in 1985 to $2.5 billion in 2000. Proponents of DTC advertising claim that it provides valuable product-related information to health care professionals and patients, may contribute to better use of medications, and helps patients take charge of their own health care. Opponents argue that DTC advertising provides misleading messages rather than well-balanced, evidence-based information. The literature is replete with opinions about the effects of prescription drug advertising on pharmaceutical drug prices and physician-prescribing patterns, but few studies have addressed the issues beyond opinion surveys. The economic literature on advertising effects in other markets, however, may provide insight. DTC advertising indirectly affects the price and the quantity of production of pharmaceuticals via its effect on changes in consumer demand.

  13. Ion torrent personal genome machine sequencing for genomic typing of Neisseria meningitidis for rapid determination of multiple layers of typing information.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vogel, Ulrich; Szczepanowski, Rafael; Claus, Heike; Jünemann, Sebastian; Prior, Karola; Harmsen, Dag

    2012-06-01

    Neisseria meningitidis causes invasive meningococcal disease in infants, toddlers, and adolescents worldwide. DNA sequence-based typing, including multilocus sequence typing, analysis of genetic determinants of antibiotic resistance, and sequence typing of vaccine antigens, has become the standard for molecular epidemiology of the organism. However, PCR of multiple targets and consecutive Sanger sequencing provide logistic constraints to reference laboratories. Taking advantage of the recent development of benchtop next-generation sequencers (NGSs) and of BIGSdb, a database accommodating and analyzing genome sequence data, we therefore explored the feasibility and accuracy of Ion Torrent Personal Genome Machine (PGM) sequencing for genomic typing of meningococci. Three strains from a previous meningococcus serogroup B community outbreak were selected to compare conventional typing results with data generated by semiconductor chip-based sequencing. In addition, sequencing of the meningococcal type strain MC58 provided information about the general performance of the technology. The PGM technology generated sequence information for all target genes addressed. The results were 100% concordant with conventional typing results, with no further editing being necessary. In addition, the amount of typing information, i.e., nucleotides and target genes analyzed, could be substantially increased by the combined use of genome sequencing and BIGSdb compared to conventional methods. In the near future, affordable and fast benchtop NGS machines like the PGM might enable reference laboratories to switch to genomic typing on a routine basis. This will reduce workloads and rapidly provide information for laboratory surveillance, outbreak investigation, assessment of vaccine preventability, and antibiotic resistance gene monitoring.

  14. 12 CFR 573.7 - Form of opt out notice to consumers; opt out methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... reserve the right to disclose nonpublic personal information about your consumer to a nonaffiliated third party; (ii) That the consumer has the right to opt out of that disclosure; and (iii) A reasonable means by which the consumer may exercise the opt out right. (2) Examples—(i) Adequate opt out notice. You...

  15. 12 CFR 40.7 - Form of opt out notice to consumers; opt out methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... discloses or reserves the right to disclose nonpublic personal information about its consumer to a nonaffiliated third party; (ii) That the consumer has the right to opt out of that disclosure; and (iii) A reasonable means by which the consumer may exercise the opt out right. (2) Examples. (i) Adequate opt out...

  16. Direct-to-consumer advertising in black and white: racial differences in placement patterns of print advertisements for health products and messages.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crawley, LaVera M; Hisaw, Lisa; Illes, Judy

    2009-01-01

    If direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) increases consumer participation in healthcare, then it may provide a useful strategy for addressing health disparities, in part, where patient-level barriers have contributed to such disparities. However, this presumes equitable access to DTCA. Using mixed methods, we explored advertisement patterns in matched African American and general audience magazines across a range of genres and ad types. Results suggest no significant differences in ad frequencies by race. However other meaningful categorical and qualitative differences were found, suggesting that advertisers may fall short in maximizing DTCA as an adjunctive strategy for empowering populations at risk for health disparities.

  17. Mixed Messages, Mixed Outcomes: Exposure to Direct-to-Consumer Advertising for Statin Drugs is Associated with More Frequent Visits to Fast Food Restaurants and Exercise.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niederdeppe, Jeff; Avery, Rosemary J; Kellogg, Maxwell D; Mathios, Alan

    2017-07-01

    This study examines whether exposure to direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCAs) for statin drugs is associated with non-pharmaceutical behaviors to prevent cardiovascular disease. We focus on the relationship between statin drug DTCA exposure and the frequency of (a) visits to fast-food restaurants and (b) exercise. We combine data on the televised broadcast availability of statin drug DTCAs in large media markets in the United States with 18 waves of the Simmons National Consumer Survey (NCS; n = 120, 229) from 2001 to 2009. We find that statin drug DTCA exposure is associated, in a dose-response pattern, with modest increases in the frequency of exercise and large increases in the frequency of fast-food-restaurant visits. The relationship between statin DTCA exposure and fast-food-restaurant visits were largely consistent in direction but differed in magnitude between those without a previous diagnosis of high cholesterol and those treating high cholesterol with a statin. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of these results for future research on pharmaceutical DTCA and population health.

  18. High throughput sequencing and proteomics to identify immunogenic proteins of a new pathogen: the dirty genome approach.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gilbert Greub

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: With the availability of new generation sequencing technologies, bacterial genome projects have undergone a major boost. Still, chromosome completion needs a costly and time-consuming gap closure, especially when containing highly repetitive elements. However, incomplete genome data may be sufficiently informative to derive the pursued information. For emerging pathogens, i.e. newly identified pathogens, lack of release of genome data during gap closure stage is clearly medically counterproductive. METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We thus investigated the feasibility of a dirty genome approach, i.e. the release of unfinished genome sequences to develop serological diagnostic tools. We showed that almost the whole genome sequence of the emerging pathogen Parachlamydia acanthamoebae was retrieved even with relatively short reads from Genome Sequencer 20 and Solexa. The bacterial proteome was analyzed to select immunogenic proteins, which were then expressed and used to elaborate the first steps of an ELISA. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This work constitutes the proof of principle for a dirty genome approach, i.e. the use of unfinished genome sequences of pathogenic bacteria, coupled with proteomics to rapidly identify new immunogenic proteins useful to develop in the future specific diagnostic tests such as ELISA, immunohistochemistry and direct antigen detection. Although applied here to an emerging pathogen, this combined dirty genome sequencing/proteomic approach may be used for any pathogen for which better diagnostics are needed. These genome sequences may also be very useful to develop DNA based diagnostic tests. All these diagnostic tools will allow further evaluations of the pathogenic potential of this obligate intracellular bacterium.

  19. Evaluating the evidence: direct-to-consumer screening tests advertised online.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lovett, Kimberly M; Mackey, Timothy K; Liang, Bryan A

    2012-09-01

    Unsupervised online direct-to-consumer (DTC) access to medical services has rapidly expanded to medical screening tests, which have not been critically evaluated for their evidence basis. The objective of this study is to identify the scope of online-advertised DTC screening tests, outline the evidence for use of available DTC testing and suggest regulatory reform to address the relevant issues. An observational study of website advertisements, testing services and counselling/follow-up services for DTC testing was conducted. Data were collected from websites between 4 April and 1 June 2011. Each website was assessed for tests offered, advertised indications and availability of counselling/follow-up services. Advertised testing indications were compared with US Preventive Services Task Force recommendations and/or specialty guidelines and categorized as Supported, Against, Insufficient Evidence or No Guidance. Of 20 companies identified as offering DTC screening tests, 95% (19/20) do not clearly offer pretest counselling, post-test counselling and/or test follow-up. One hundred and twenty-seven different tests were identified. Only 19/127 (15%) could be Supported for screening in a target group selected for testing; 38/127 (30%) were given recommendations to avoid use in specific target group(s) selected for testing ('Against recommendations'); 29/127 (23%) had Insufficient Evidence of value, and for 64/127 (50%) No Guidance could be given. Only 4/127 (3%) tests were Supported for general screening use. Virtually all identified medical tests advertised and offered DTC are not recommended for use in screening by evidence-based guidelines. Limited oversight may lead to inaccurate self-diagnosis, treatment and wasted health resources.

  20. Ethical Issues for Direct-to-Consumer Digital Psychotherapy Apps: Addressing Accountability, Data Protection, and Consent.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martinez-Martin, Nicole; Kreitmair, Karola

    2018-04-23

    This paper focuses on the ethical challenges presented by direct-to-consumer (DTC) digital psychotherapy services that do not involve oversight by a professional mental health provider. DTC digital psychotherapy services can potentially assist in improving access to mental health care for the many people who would otherwise not have the resources or ability to connect with a therapist. However, the lack of adequate regulation in this area exacerbates concerns over how safety, privacy, accountability, and other ethical obligations to protect an individual in therapy are addressed within these services. In the traditional therapeutic relationship, there are ethical obligations that serve to protect the interests of the client and provide warnings. In contrast, in a DTC therapy app, there are no clear lines of accountability or associated ethical obligations to protect the user seeking mental health services. The types of DTC services that present ethical challenges include apps that use a digital platform to connect users to minimally trained nonprofessional counselors, as well as services that provide counseling steered by artificial intelligence and conversational agents. There is a need for adequate oversight of DTC nonprofessional psychotherapy services and additional empirical research to inform policy that will provide protection to the consumer. ©Nicole Martinez-Martin, Karola Kreitmair. Originally published in JMIR Mental Health (http://mental.jmir.org), 23.04.2018.

  1. Direct Detection of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products from Aqueous Samples with Thermally-Assisted Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campbell, Ian S.; Ton, Alain T.; Mulligan, Christopher C.

    2011-07-01

    An ambient mass spectrometric method based on desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) has been developed to allow rapid, direct analysis of contaminated water samples, and the technique was evaluated through analysis of a wide array of pharmaceutical and personal care product (PPCP) contaminants. Incorporating direct infusion of aqueous sample and thermal assistance into the source design has allowed low ppt detection limits for the target analytes in drinking water matrices. With this methodology, mass spectral information can be collected in less than 1 min, consuming ~100 μL of total sample. Quantitative ability was also demonstrated without the use of an internal standard, yielding decent linearity and reproducibility. Initial results suggest that this source configuration is resistant to carryover effects and robust towards multi-component samples. The rapid, continuous analysis afforded by this method offers advantages in terms of sample analysis time and throughput over traditional hyphenated mass spectrometric techniques.

  2. Online consumer contracts

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Luzak, J.

    2014-01-01

    The new Consumer Rights Directive introduced some changes to the level of consumers’ protection online. However, just like with its predecessor, the Distance Selling Directive, the main focus of the protection that consumers have been granted online is to provide them with transparent and salient

  3. Consumer response to a report card comparing healthcare systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Braun, Barbara L; Kind, Elizabeth A; Fowles, Jinnet B; Suarez, Walter G

    2002-06-01

    Report cards to date have focused on quality of care in health plans rather than within healthcare delivery systems. The purpose of this study was to evaluate consumer response to the first healthcare system-level report card. Qualitative assessment of consumer response. We conducted 5 focus groups of community members to evaluate consumer response to the report card; 2 included community club members, 3 included community-dwelling retired persons. Discussions were audiotaped and transcribed; comments were categorized by topic area from the script, and common themes identified. Focus group participants, in general, were unaware of the current emphasis on medical quality improvement initiatives. However, they believed that the opinion that the descriptive clinic information and patient survey data contained in the report card would be most useful mainly for choosing a healthcare system if they were dissatisfied with current medical care, if their healthcare options changed, or if they were in poor health. Personal experience was considered a more trustworthy measure of healthcare quality than were patient survey results. Trustworthiness was perceived to be higher if the report card sponsor was not affiliated with the healthcare systems being evaluated. Participants also believed care system administrators should use the data to enact positive clinic-level and physician-level changes. Healthcare consumers appreciated the attention to patient experiences and supported healthcare quality improvement initiatives. Report cards were considered important for choosing a healthcare system in certain circumstances and for guiding quality improvement efforts at all levels.

  4. Replacement of meat by meat substitutes. A survey on person- and product-related factors in consumer acceptance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoek, Annet C; Luning, Pieternel A; Weijzen, Pascalle; Engels, Wim; Kok, Frans J; de Graaf, Cees

    2011-06-01

    What does it take to increase the consumption of meat substitutes and attract new consumers? We identified main barriers and drivers by a consumer survey (n=553) in the U.K. and the Netherlands. Person-related factors (food neophobia and food choice motives) and product-related attitudes and beliefs towards meat and meat substitutes were compared between non-users (n=324), light/medium-users (n=133) and heavy-users of meat substitutes (n=96). Consumer acceptance was largely determined by the attitudes and beliefs towards meat substitutes and food neophobia. Key barriers for non-users and light/medium-users were the unfamiliarity with meat substitutes and the lower sensory attractiveness compared to meat. In addition, non-users had a higher tendency to avoid new foods. Hence, the less consumers were using meat substitutes, the more they wanted these products to be similar to meat. Although non-users and light/medium-users did recognize the ethical and weight-control aspects of meat substitutes, this was obviously less relevant to them. Actually, only heavy-users had high motivations to choose ethical foods, which explains their choice for meat substitutes. In order to make meat substitutes more attractive to meat consumers, we would not recommend to focus on communication of ethical arguments, but to significantly improve the sensory quality and resemblance to meat. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Factors affecting osteoarthritis patients' self-reported goal-directed drug information-seeking behaviors after exposure to direct-to-consumer advertising from physicians and the internet.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Yifei; Farris, Karen B; Doucette, William R

    2011-10-01

    The objective of this study was to investigate appraisal of means (ie, self-efficacy, outcome expectancy, and affect) in predicting patients' goal-directed behaviors of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA)-prompted drug-information search from physicians and the internet. One thousand patients were randomly selected from a nationwide sample frame of 3000 osteoarthritis patients. A self-administered survey assessed exposure to DTCA, drug-information search as goal, self-efficacy, outcome expectancy, affect, and osteoarthritis pain. After 6 weeks, another survey measured the behavior of drug-information search for respondents to the first survey. Study subjects were those who were exposed to DTCA in the previous month, and who set drug-information search as their goal. For each information source, a multiple regression analysis was conducted in which drug-information search was the dependent variable, and self-efficacy, outcome expectancy, affect, and osteoarthritis pain were the independent variables. Among 454 patients who were exposed to DTCA, 174 patients set drug-information search as their goal and were the study subjects. The regression for physicians was not statistically significant. The regression for the internet was significant, accounting for 15% of behavior variance. Self-efficacy was a strong predictor of goal-directed drug-information search from the internet. Appraisal of means was useful to predict the goal-directed behavior of DTCA-prompted drug-information search from the internet. For patients who set drug-information search as a goal, actions to promote drug-information search from the internet need to focus on self-efficacy.

  6. Human Genome Sequencing in Health and Disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonzaga-Jauregui, Claudia; Lupski, James R.; Gibbs, Richard A.

    2013-01-01

    Following the “finished,” euchromatic, haploid human reference genome sequence, the rapid development of novel, faster, and cheaper sequencing technologies is making possible the era of personalized human genomics. Personal diploid human genome sequences have been generated, and each has contributed to our better understanding of variation in the human genome. We have consequently begun to appreciate the vastness of individual genetic variation from single nucleotide to structural variants. Translation of genome-scale variation into medically useful information is, however, in its infancy. This review summarizes the initial steps undertaken in clinical implementation of personal genome information, and describes the application of whole-genome and exome sequencing to identify the cause of genetic diseases and to suggest adjuvant therapies. Better analysis tools and a deeper understanding of the biology of our genome are necessary in order to decipher, interpret, and optimize clinical utility of what the variation in the human genome can teach us. Personal genome sequencing may eventually become an instrument of common medical practice, providing information that assists in the formulation of a differential diagnosis. We outline herein some of the remaining challenges. PMID:22248320

  7. Perception of urban retailing environments : an empirical analysis of consumer information and usage fields

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Timmermans, H.J.P.; vd Heijden, R.E.C.M.; Westerveld, J.

    1982-01-01

    This article reports on an empirical analysis of consumer information and usage fields in the city of Eindhoven. The main purposes of this study are to investigate the distance, sectoral and directional biases of these fields, to analyse whether the degree of biases is related to personal

  8. The Role of Direct Marketing in Relation with the Consumers in Kosovo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    MSc. Halit Karaxha

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Direct marketing is very important in creating good relations with clients for the presentation of new products/services, and to also achieve sales in the meantime. Direct marketing uses different techniques, such as e-mails, telephones, fairs, festivals and other techniques in order to directly communicate with clients by being very flexible, and it also allows immediate feedback. This paper consists of two parts: the first part is related to the review of literature regarding direct marketing, and the second part is related to the research conducted through surveys in companies, by interviewing the director, general manager, marketing manager and managers of other departments within the company who have knowledge about the marketing in the company. The study regarding direct marketing and its role in relation with consumers is an interesting field to study, but at the same time it is also a challenge, because knowing more about one technique or another is a field on its own and requires the analysis of particular specifics of each technique in order for the direct marketing to have a positive impact in creating good relations with the clients on the basis of fulfilling their needs and requests.

  9. Direct whole-genome sequencing of Plasmodium falciparum specimens from dried erythrocyte spots

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nag, Sidsel; Kofoed, Poul Erik; Ursing, Johan

    2018-01-01

    -infected individuals living in rural areas, away from main infrastructure and the electrical grid. The aim of this study was to describe a low-tech procedure to sample P. falciparum specimens for direct whole genome sequencing (WGS), without use of electricity and cold-chain. Methods: Venous blood samples were...

  10. To Withdraw Or Not To Withdraw? Evaluation of the Mandatory Right of Withdrawal in Consumer Distance Selling Contracts Taking Into Account Its Behavioural Effects on Consumers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Luzak, J.A.

    2014-01-01

    The right of withdrawal was introduced to European consumer law as an exception to the general contractual principle of pacta sunt servanda. It has recently been upheld in the Consumer Rights Directive as a mandatory right for consumers concluding distance selling contracts. Among various

  11. Effects of Personal Traits on Generation Y Consumers' Attitudes Toward the Use of Mobile Devices for Communication and Commerce

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jihyun Kim

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of young adult consumers' personal traits (high-tech involvement, experiment proclivity, and fashion/brand leadership on their perceptions of and attitudes toward using mobile devices for communications and commerce. The integrated stimulus-organism-responses paradigm (Fiore & Kim, 2007 served as the overarching framework, combining the uses and gratifications theory (Blumler & Katz, 1974 and the extended technology acceptance model (Kim, Ma, & Park, 2009. A convenience sample of 504 college students in 2 U. S. universities provided usable responses to our survey. Causal modeling analysis results showed that personal trait variables had significant impacts on the perceived ease of use, usefulness, and enjoyment, and attitudes toward mobile communication and mobile commerce. Findings also suggested that three perception variables positively influenced attitudes toward using mobile devices for communication as well as for commerce. This study provides empirical evidence of the potential of mobile commerce among young adult consumers.

  12. Lessons in Outbreak a Consumer perspective

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fischer, A.R.H.

    2008-01-01

    Lessons in Outbreak a Consumer perspective. Arnout Fischer Consumer risk perceptions is not necessarily the same as an economic weighing of risks and benefits. Consumers tend to be risk averse, tend to estimate catastrophic, unnatural or involuntary risks as larger, while personal lifestyle risks

  13. Course of Study for Consumer Mathematics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montgomery County Public Schools, Rockville, MD.

    Eleven units comprise this Consumer Mathematics course for secondary school students: Consumer Decision Making; Personal Transportation; Insurance; Credit; Banking; Investments; Income Taxes; Food, Clothing, Furniture, Appliances; Housing; Budgeting; and Travel. The introduction to the teaching guide for Consumer Mathematics includes a rationale…

  14. Are personal values related to sustainable attribute choice

    OpenAIRE

    Mueller, Simone; Sirieix, Lucie; Remaud, Hervé

    2011-01-01

    Purpose: A cross-cultural study with large representative samples analyses to what degree Schwartz’s personal values and environmental concerns are related to consumers’ choices of wine with sustainable characteristics. Methodology: Across seven countries, the attribute importance and willingness to pay of consumer segments resulting from choice experiments are related to Schwartz’s personal value dimensions and environmental attitudes. Findings: Personal values were only weakly related to re...

  15. Communicating Sustainable Shoes to Mainstream Consumers: The Impact of Advertisement Design on Buying Intention

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mirjam Visser

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Traditionally, marketing of sustainable products addresses green buyers, thus missing out on the mainstream consumers and volume necessary to cover the potentially higher cost of more sustainable materials. However, how to effectively communicate more sustainable products to mainstream consumers and to increase their buying intention is still underexplored. Combining personal and environmental benefits, called double benefit theory, is promoted as an effective green marketing strategy but so far not supported by quantitative research as being effective to reach mainstream consumers. We studied the effect of advertisement elements (layout color, benefit type, and heritage on the products’ perceived sustainability, quality and fashion image, and buying intentions of mainstream consumers. Two hundred adults participated in a study that was based on a 2 (red vs. green layout × 2 (personal vs. environmental benefit × 2 (local vs. global heritage between-subjects factorial design of a sustainable shoe advertisement. The impact of these independent variables on product image as well as on buying intention was analyzed by means of three-way ANOVAs. In line with the double benefit theory, combining a personal benefit with a green layout led to the highest buying intention. Moreover, a mediation analysis revealed the effect of emphasizing a personal benefit on buying intention was mediated by fashion image but not by sustainability. Sustainability, however, did have a positive effect on buying intentions independent of benefit type.

  16. Medicine, market and communication: ethical considerations in regard to persuasive communication in direct-to-consumer genetic testing services.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schaper, Manuel; Schicktanz, Silke

    2018-06-05

    Commercial genetic testing offered over the internet, known as direct-to-consumer genetic testing (DTC GT), currently is under ethical attack. A common critique aims at the limited validation of the tests as well as the risk of psycho-social stress or adaption of incorrect behavior by users triggered by misleading health information. Here, we examine in detail the specific role of advertising communication of DTC GT companies from a medical ethical perspective. Our argumentative analysis departs from the starting point that DTC GT operates at the intersection of two different contexts: medicine on the one hand and the market on the other. Both fields differ strongly with regard to their standards of communication practices and the underlying normative assumptions regarding autonomy and responsibility. Following a short review of the ethical contexts of medical and commercial communication, we provide case examples for persuasive messages of DTC GT websites and briefly analyze their design with a multi-modal approach to illustrate some of their problematic implications. We observe three main aspects in DTC GT advertising communication: (1) the use of material suggesting medical professional legitimacy as a trust-establishing tool, (2) the suggestion of empowerment as a benefit of using DTC GT services and (3) the narrative of responsibility as a persuasive appeal to a moral self-conception. While strengthening and respecting the autonomy of a patient is the focus in medical communication, specifically genetic counselling, persuasive communication is the normal mode in marketing of consumer goods, presuming an autonomous, rational, independent consumer. This creates tension in the context of DTC GT regarding the expectation and normative assessment of communication strategies. Our analysis can even the ground for a better understanding of ethical problems associated with intersections of medical and commercial communication and point to perspectives of analysis of

  17. Costs and benefits of direct-to-consumer advertising: the case of depression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Block, Adam E

    2007-01-01

    Direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) is legal in the US and New Zealand, but illegal in the rest of the world. Little or no research exists on the social welfare implications of DTCA. To quantify the total costs and benefits associated with both appropriate and inappropriate care due to DTCA, for the case of depression. A cost-benefit model was developed using parameter estimates from available survey, epidemiological and experimental data. The model estimates the total benefits and costs (year 2002 values) of new appropriate and inappropriate care stimulated by DTCA for depression. Uncertainty in model parameters is addressed with sensitivity analyses. This study provides evidence that 94% of new antidepressant use due to DTCA is from non-depressed individuals. However, the average health benefit to each new depressed user is 63-fold greater than the cost per treatment, creating a positive overall social welfare effect; a net benefit of >72 million US dollars. This analysis suggests that DTCA may lead to antidepressant treatment in 15-fold as many non-depressed people as depressed people. However, the costs of treating non-depressed people may be vastly outweighed by the much larger benefit accruing to treated depressed individuals. The cost-benefit ratio can be improved through better targeting of advertisements and higher quality treatment of depression.

  18. Potential benefits of satiety to the consumer: scientific considerations

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hetherington, M.M.; Cunningham, K.; Dye, L.; Gibson, E.L.; Gregersen, N.T.; Halford, J.C.G.; Lawton, C.L.; Lluch, A.; Mela, D.J.; Trijp, van J.C.M.

    2013-01-01

    Foods and dietary patterns that enhance satiety may provide benefit to consumers. The aim of the present review was to describe, consider and evaluate research on potential benefits of enhanced satiety. The proposal that enhanced satiety could only benefit consumers by a direct effect on food intake

  19. Personalized Assessment as a Means to Mitigate Plagiarism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manoharan, Sathiamoorthy

    2017-01-01

    Although every educational institution has a code of academic honesty, they still encounter incidents of plagiarism. These are difficult and time-consuming to detect and deal with. This paper explores the use of personalized assessments with the goal of reducing incidents of plagiarism, proposing a personalized assessment software framework…

  20. Direct to consumer advertising via the Internet, a study of hip resurfacing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ogunwale, B; Clarke, J; Young, D; Mohammed, A; Patil, S; Meek, R M D

    2009-02-01

    With increased use of the internet for health information and direct to consumer advertising from medical companies, there is concern about the quality of information available to patients. The aim of this study was to examine the quality of health information on the internet for hip resurfacing. An assessment tool was designed to measure quality of information. Websites were measured on credibility of source; usability; currentness of the information; content relevance; content accuracy/completeness and disclosure/bias. Each website assessed was given a total score, based on number of scores achieved from the above categories websites were further analysed on author, geographical origin and possession of an independent credibility check. There was positive correlation between the overall score for the website and the score of each website in each assessment category. Websites by implant companies, doctors and hospitals scored poorly. Websites with an independent credibility check such as Health on the Net (HoN) scored twice the total scores of websites without. Like other internet health websites, the quality of information on hip resurfacing websites is variable. This study highlights methods by which to assess the quality of health information on the internet and advocates that patients should look for a statement of an "independent credibility check" when searching for information on hip resurfacing.