The content of advertisements in medical journals: distorting the image of women.

This study was designed to examine the content of advertisements in medical journals to determine if the images of women are different than those of men. The method for this investigation was content analysis of a stratified random sample of issues of selected medical journals that regularly include picture advertisements. Advertisements were analyzed according to criteria and characteristics derived from a review of the literature. Interrater reliability was computed as a function of agreements. The results indicate that readers of medical journals are still being exposed to images of women that are negative and outdated. Until portrayals of women are consistently positive and timely, the images can have a negative effect on the health care women receive.