Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Merck and the FDA faced a unique situation in response to the withdrawal of Vioxx from the market. Both organizations had to address their constituents and assure them that this was an isolated event. Based on an analysis of the crisis rhetoric responses by both Merck and the FDA, it is apparent that the two organizations addressed different audiences and used different strategies to address those audiences. Specifically, the authors found the Merck emphasized ingratiation, acknowledgment, and institutional characteristics, while the FDA addressed institutional characteristics without either acknowledgment or denial. The significance of these findings are discussed.

Publication Type: Abstract
Abstract: In the anticipation of Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of Gardasil, a vaccine that “blocks infection by the four human papillomavirus (HPV) types that cause most cervical cancer”, the drug manufacturing company, Merck, began running television advertisements for the vaccine in May 2006 (CBS News 2006). FDA approval would come a month later starting the frenzied race to the legislative sessions in states across the country. Of particular interest is the explosion of bill proposals in 41 state legislatures promoting the vaccination of young girls through funding, education and or requiring vaccination as a condition of school attendance (NCSL 2007).

Considering that the social costs of other diseases in the community are much higher than those associated with HPV infections, how did the mandate for school vaccinations against HPV get on the public agenda? What is the problem that is “judged to be unreasonable or unacceptable and appropriate for government to handle” (Anderson 2003)? How has HPV been socially constructed? What role do state political characteristics play in the formulation of policy proposals and their subsequent legislative outcomes in 2007? What insight does the variation in auxiliary measures included in the bills (i.e. sliding fee, insurance coverage, etc.) lend to our understanding of public policy making in the states? What were key arguments made by policy entrepreneurs in state chambers concerning the mandate? By using theories of the public policy process and case study analysis this inquiry seeks to evaluate the progression of the HPV vaccine from FDA approval through policy adoption in American states in the state legislative sessions of 2006 and 2007.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The FDA Health and Diet Survey: A Data Resource

Contact Person: Linda A. Verrill, Ph.D., U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center For Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Office of Scientific Analysis and Support, Consumer Studies, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, MD 20740-3835; phone (301) 436-1765; fax (301) 436-2626; email lverrill@cfsan.fda.gov.

The Health and Diet Survey is a single-stage, random-digit-dialing telephone survey conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It was administered in the fall of 2002 to a total of 2,743 non-institutionalized adult respondents in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The purpose of the survey was to track and gather new information on consumer awareness, attitudes and practices related to health and diet issues. In particular, the survey focused on foods and dietary supplements, two categories of the consumer products regulated by the FDA. On diet and health, the survey asked about (1) awareness of the relationship between diet and diseases (cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure), (2) knowledge of fats and cholesterol, (3) knowledge of dietary deficiencies, (4) dietary management practices, and (5) use and impact of food labels. On dietary supplements, the survey asked about (1) prevalence of use, (2) information sources and uses, (3) perceptions of dietary supplements and their labels, (4) substitution of dietary supplements for prescription or over-the-counter drugs, (5) adverse experiences with dietary supplements, and (6) children's and teenagers' use of dietary

Contact Person: Linda A. Verrill, Ph.D., U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center For Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Office of Scientific Analysis and Support, Consumer Studies, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, MD 20740-3835; phone (301) 436-1765; fax (301) 436-2626; email lverrill@cfsan.fda.gov.

The Health and Diet Survey is a single-stage, random-digit-dialing telephone survey conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It was administered in the fall of 2002 to a total of 2,743 non-institutionalized adult respondents in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The purpose of the survey was to track and gather new information on consumer awareness, attitudes and practices related to health and diet issues. In particular, the survey focused on foods and dietary supplements, two categories of the consumer products regulated by the FDA. On diet and health, the survey asked about (1) awareness of the relationship between diet and diseases (cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure), (2) knowledge of fats and cholesterol, (3) knowledge of dietary deficiencies, (4) dietary management practices, and (5) use and impact of food labels. On dietary supplements, the survey asked about (1) prevalence of use, (2) information sources and uses, (3) perceptions of dietary supplements and their labels, (4) substitution of dietary supplements for prescription or over-the-counter drugs, (5) adverse experiences with dietary supplements, and (6) children's and teenagers' use of dietary

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Safety Survey is a single-stage, random-digit-dialing tracking survey of a nationally representative sample of American consumers. Data were collected in 1988, 1993, 1998, and 2001, with sample sizes of 3,200, 1,620, 2,001, and 4,482, respectively. The purpose of the survey is to track American consumers’ knowledge, behavior, and perceptions on a number of food-safety related topics. These topics include 1) perception of individual and societal risk related to food consumption, 2) food handling, 3) food product safety label understanding and usage, 4) consumption of potentially risky foods, 5) attitude toward new food technologies, 6) perception, knowledge, and experience with foodborne illness, and 7) food safety knowledge sources. In addition, each wave queries consumers on recent FDA food safety advisories and other topics of current interest to the FDA. The 2001 data set includes consumers’ experience with food allergies. The available demographic information includes gender, age, education, race/ethnicity, household size, health status, region, and household income.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: pending