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Advertising Risk: A Comparative Content Analysis of Contraceptive Advertisements Targeting Black and White Women

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Date Issued:
2014
Abstract/Description:
This research compared contraceptive advertisements in two top-circulated publications for white and African American female subscribers, Cosmopolitan and Essence. Data consisted of a sample of 172 contraceptive advertisements from the two magazines published between 1992 and 2012. Quantitative analysis focused on the model(s)' race, age, marital status, and socioeconomic status; the type of contraceptive being advertised; and the reason stated in the ad for using the product. This analysis determined a disparity in the rate of advertisement of doctor-administered contraceptives for the publications of 25.4 percent in Essence magazine and 9.5 percent in Cosmopolitan magazine. Black women were targeted with long-term, doctor-administered birth control ads more frequently than white women over a twenty-year period, which correlates with findings of previous studies suggesting minority women receive these types of birth control more often than their white counterparts. Qualitative analysis focused on the written messages in the advertisements. This analysis identified the theme of risk as a prominent message of advertisements, appealing to concerns surrounding health, desirability, freedom and pregnancy.
Title: Advertising Risk: A Comparative Content Analysis of Contraceptive Advertisements Targeting Black and White Women.
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Name(s): Rogers, Tiffany, Author
Carter, Shannon, Committee Chair
Grauerholz, Liz, Committee Member
Broome, Amy, Committee Member
University of Central Florida, Degree Grantor
Type of Resource: text
Date Issued: 2014
Publisher: University of Central Florida
Language(s): English
Abstract/Description: This research compared contraceptive advertisements in two top-circulated publications for white and African American female subscribers, Cosmopolitan and Essence. Data consisted of a sample of 172 contraceptive advertisements from the two magazines published between 1992 and 2012. Quantitative analysis focused on the model(s)' race, age, marital status, and socioeconomic status; the type of contraceptive being advertised; and the reason stated in the ad for using the product. This analysis determined a disparity in the rate of advertisement of doctor-administered contraceptives for the publications of 25.4 percent in Essence magazine and 9.5 percent in Cosmopolitan magazine. Black women were targeted with long-term, doctor-administered birth control ads more frequently than white women over a twenty-year period, which correlates with findings of previous studies suggesting minority women receive these types of birth control more often than their white counterparts. Qualitative analysis focused on the written messages in the advertisements. This analysis identified the theme of risk as a prominent message of advertisements, appealing to concerns surrounding health, desirability, freedom and pregnancy.
Identifier: CFE0005406 (IID), ucf:50408 (fedora)
Note(s): 2014-08-01
M.A.
Sciences, Sociology
Masters
This record was generated from author submitted information.
Subject(s): Media -- Advertising -- Sociology -- contraceptives -- birth control -- women's health -- risk -- race -- gender
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005406
Restrictions on Access: public 2014-08-15
Host Institution: UCF

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