A new study from the University of Michigan and Columbia University has found that ads that appear to promote health benefits are actually deceptive and have the potential to lead to negative health outcomes.
Researchers from the university’s School of Communication and Digital Media found that while the average consumer can see the ads on a smartphone, they often miss out on the full picture.
“The most common message in these advertisements is that the product is effective for preventing, treating, or reversing certain conditions,” said Dr. Jessica H. Brown, the study’s lead author and an assistant professor of communication at the university.
But, in reality, these claims are often misleading, and may even be promoting diseases or even harmful treatments that are actually preventable.
“Our findings suggest that these ads can have a direct impact on health, and that these messages may not be as effective as they may appear on the surface,” Brown said.
The researchers conducted their research in collaboration with researchers from the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), which was contracted by McDonald’s in the United States and other companies to conduct research on health claims.
Their study was published in the online journal PLoS One.
Researchers found that consumers are often unaware that the ads in their daily lives are often deceptive.
For example, McDonald’s offers the “Healthy Breakfast” program, which aims to reduce the risk of certain types of cancers and other health conditions by encouraging consumers to eat a healthy breakfast.
The program also promises to improve cholesterol levels.
However, the researchers found that the program is often misleading.
In fact, the program often relies on flawed research, and has been linked to harmful outcomes in many studies.
For example, researchers at the University at Albany in New York found that when participants were given the chance to choose which type of breakfast they ate, the amount of calories they burned actually varied between different types of breakfast, leading to misleading claims.
Brown and her colleagues also found that McDonald’s advertisements often use deceptive language.
They used social media to study how consumers perceive their health and to analyze the effectiveness of the program, but they also conducted experiments to measure consumers’ trust in the ads.
Although McDonald’s has removed the ads from its website, it still features them on television, and the company also sells health-related products in its stores.
“The ads can be a good marketing tool, but consumers need to be aware of their own health and take steps to make sure they are seeing the best products,” Brown added.
With the help of a variety of media sources, the team also studied the impact of ads that were deceptive.
They found that people who clicked on ads that suggested they could reduce the chances of cancer and other diseases were more likely to purchase the products.
In addition, consumers who saw misleading advertisements were also more likely than their peers to purchase health insurance, according to the researchers.
“We find that consumers have a difficult time deciding whether they want to buy a health product or a health service, especially if they don’t understand what they’re purchasing,” Brown explained.
“This research also shows that consumers can be misled by misleading health claims.”