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Study finds retail tobacco marketing increases teen smoking

Healthcare Strategist Trend Watch, May 18, 2007

The more that teens are exposed to cigarette marketing in retail stores, the more likely it is that they will smoke, says Matthew L. Myers, president of the Campaign for Smoke Free Kids. Myers says a recent study conducted by the University of Illinois and the University of Michigan-the first of its kind to study marketing strategies in retail settings and convenience stores-shows that even the most basic advertising strategies used by cigarette companies remain effective.

In 2005, tobacco companies spent $182 million on point-of-sale advertising, $9.8 billion on price discounts and $963 million on other retail promotions, according to researchers. The companies also spent $870 million on coupons and $846 million to ensure retailers placed cigarette displays in prominent places.

The Campaign for Smoke Free Kids says their research indicates that Congress should enact proposed FDA legislation that takes aim at youth-oriented advertising. The legislation would limit advertisements in stores and magazines to black and white text, reducing the appeal of smoking for teens. The legislation would also require stores to keep tobacco behind the counter, eliminate tobacco-brand sponsorship of sports and entertainment, and ban free tobacco samples or giveaways of non-tobacco promotional items with the purchase of a tobacco product.

The Centers for Disease Control's latest survey found that 23% of high school students smoked in 2005, up from 21.9% in 2003. Previous surveys showed a 40% decline in teen smoking since 1997, when smoking rates peaked at 36.4%.

The study was conducted by Bridging the Gap, a joint project of the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Michigan. It was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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