Open Access Kent State (OAKS)

This study examines direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising by comparing the views of urban senior citizens to rural consumers; the study, therefore, compares two groups that frequently use prescription drugs. The findings reveal that older urban consumers are less likely to believe that DTC advertising accurately portrays side effects and risks or to go to a physician based on these advertisements as compared to their rural counterparts. Older urban consumers were more aware of the Medicare Part D drug insurance programme, but less satisfied with these programmes compared to rural residents who were also Medicare Part D participants. The paper closes with a discussion of the implications of these findings.