An experimental examination of consumer attitudes, behavioral intentions, and information search behavior after viewing a predictive genetic test direct‐to‐consumer advertisement

Abstract

Purpose -Predictive genetic tests (PGTs) have greatly increased their presence in the market, and, much like their pharmaceutical peers, companies offering PGTs have increasingly used direct-to-consumer advertising as part of their promotional strategy. Given many PGTs are available without a prescription or physician order and the lack of empirical research examining the effects of PGT-DTC, this paper seeks to examine consumer attitudes, intentions, and behavior in response to a PGT-DTC ad with and without a prescription requirement. Design/methodology/approach -A single factor, between subjects online survey design with the presence or absence of a prescription requirement as the experimental variable was used to evaluate consumers' attitudes, intentions, and behavior in response to a predictive genetic test DTC advertisement. A minimum sample size of 198 was determined a priori and 206 surveys were completed within five hours of deployment to 600 randomly selected general consumer participants for a response rate of 34.3 percent (206/600), with 106 in the prescription requirement group and 100 in the non-prescription group. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, and chi-square techniques were used to examine the various dependent variables (consumer attitudes, behavioral intentions, and the pre-defined behavior measure) and their differences. Findings -Overall, consumers hold favorable attitudes to PGT-DTC ads, but did not intend to engage in physician discussion, take the test or perform information search behavior. The effect of a prescription requirement was not significant, as no differences were seen with the attitude and behavioral intention dependent variables. Originality/value -At this still relatively young point in the PGT cycle, consumers still seem to be skeptical about the value of predictive genetic tests and their associated DTC advertisements.