Learning Objectives: Identify how the tobacco industry uses retail stores as both ubiquitous avenues of access and increased demand for tobacco products, with emphasis on special populations. Demonstrate how to evaluate the degree to which a store is "tobacco friendly." List policy and non-policy methods for changing the retail environment.
Abstract: Audience: Tobacco control professionals and researchers interested in prevention, cessation, policy advocacy, and enforcement of youth access laws.
Key Points: Popular magazines and newspapers are no longer the tobacco industry's primary advertising venue; rather more than 80% of their advertising and promotional dollars are spent to influence the retail environment. The result is ubiquitous, relentless and unavoidable exposure to pro-tobacco messages in everyday life.
This session will present national estimates of tobacco sales to minors, price influences on premium cigarettes, the amount, types, and brand dominance of tobacco company marketing materials in U.S. stores; how these “tobacco friendly” elements of the retail environment vary by community and over time; and how they are effected by tobacco control programs efforts.
Educational Experience: The results of a comprehensive study of a nationally representative sample of 1500 retail tobacco outlets, and the changes in these outlets over a year, will be presented. Included will be results of store observations, interviews with the store managers, interviews with tobacco control professionals in the study communities, and compliance checks in the stores. Lessons learned from the research will be used to suggest policy and program alternatives. Participants will learn how the stores influence smoking initiation and discourage quitting. They will learn to evaluate local stores, experiencing and scoring "virtual stores" in an interactive exercise.
Benefits: In-depth information will be provided about the tobacco industry's primary communication channel, and will explore various policy alternatives to control illegal tobacco sales to minors and tobacco industry marketing practices in stores.
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