Pharmaceutical companies as a source of health information: a pilot study of the effects of source, web site interactivity, and involvement.

While pharmaceutical companies provide abundant health and medical information on their Web sites, little is known about consumers' perceptions of pharmaceutical companies as a health information source and the impact of pharmaceutical Web sites on health-related attitudes and behaviors. Findings from this study suggest that a pharmaceutical company can be perceived to be just as credible as a government health agency, and that Web site interactivity and consumer involvement with online health information affect the persuasive effects of the pharmaceutical company's message. Implications for future research and for the role of pharmaceutical companies in health communication are discussed.