J Health Commun. 2016;21(4):397-407. doi: 10.1080/10810730.2015.1095816. Epub 2016 Feb 4.

Mapping of Health Communication and Education Strategies Addressing the Public Health Dangers of Illicit Online Pharmacies.

Anderson AC1,2, Mackey TK1,3,4, Attaran A5, Liang BA1.

Author information

1

a Global Health Policy Institute, School of Medicine , University of California , San Diego, La Jolla , California , USA.

2

b Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies , Washington , DC , USA.

3

c Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine , University of California , San Diego, La Jolla , California , USA.

4

d Division of Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine , University of California , San Diego, La Jolla , California , USA.

5

e Faculty of Law and Institute of Population Health , University of Ottawa , Ottawa , Canada.

Abstract

Illicit online pharmacies are a growing global public health concern. Stakeholders have started to engage in health promotion activities to educate the public, yet their scope and impact has not been examined. We wished to identify health promotion activities focused on consumer awareness regarding the risks of illicit online pharmacies. Organizations engaged on the issue were first identified using a set of engagement criteria. We then reviewed these organizations for health promotion programs, educational components, public service announcements, and social media engagement. Our review identified 13 organizations across a wide spectrum of stakeholders. Of these organizations, 69.2% (n = 9) had at least one type of health promotion activity targeting consumers. Although the vast majority of these organizations were active on Facebook or Twitter, many did not have dedicated content regarding online pharmacies (Facebook: 45.5%, Twitter: 58.3%). An online survey administered to 6 respondents employed by organizations identified in this study found that all organizations had dedicated programs on the issue, but only half had media planning strategies in place to measure the effectiveness of their programs. Overall, our results indicate that though some organizations are actively engaged on the issue, communication and education initiatives have had questionable effectiveness in reaching the public. We note that only a few organizations offered comprehensive and dedicated content to raise awareness on the issue and were effective in social media communications. In response, more robust collaborative efforts between stakeholders are needed to educate and protect the consumer about this public health and patient safety danger.