Cigarette retail marketing practices increase the likelihood of youth smoking..

May 7, 2007 - Cigarette retail marketing practices increase the likelihood of youth smoking.. A study published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine (S.J. Slater et al., 161:440-445, 2007) concludes that the more cigarette marketing teens are exposed to in retail stores, the more likely they are to smoke, and that restricting these retail marketing practices would reduce youth smoking. Investigator analyzed data from annual, nationally representative surveys of youths 14,16, and 18 years old conducted between 1999 and 2003. Data from more than 26,000 youths and 900 communities were included. Smoking status was categorized as never smoker, puffer, nonrecent experimenter, former established smoker, recent experimenter, and current established smoker. Cigarette marketing practices in the community based on direct observation of retail outlets that sold tobacco products. Analyses controlled for other factors known to be associated with youth smoking such as age and parent’s education level. This is the first national study to examine how specific marketing strategies in convenience stores and other retail settings affect youth smoking. Price-cutting and other marketing strategies widely used by the tobacco and alcoholic beverage industries are highly effective in encouraging children and teenagers to smoke and drinking. Click on image to enlarge..