Learning Objectives: Describe the impact of enforcement on cited youth
Abstract: Problem: A study of underage youth who had been cited for possession, purchase or use of tobacco in a Florida County, reported in the Journal of Adolescent & Family Health, showed that over half of the youth who appeared in court reported that they either stopped using tobacco or they reduced their tobacco consumption. Follow up analysis showed that the rate of quitting was approximately 85% higher than a study of similar levels of smokers for a comparable group in Florida during the same period. Unanswered with the original study was whether the effects were long term and generalizable to areas beyond the County that was studies.
Methods: Two follow up studies were conducted in 2001, one involving the youth who were part of the original study and another study involving cited youth from three other counties in Florida. The follow up studies employed similar survey methods that were used with the original study.
Results: Results from both studies were similar to the original study, indicating that the impact was long term and generalizable to other areas. Some attrition did occur related to the rate of quitting, but the effects of the original study appeared even more pronounced in the other counties. The additional studies also confirmed the early results concerning what factors were most likely to motivate these youth smokers to quit.
Discussion: These results provide additional data supporting the growing evidence that enforcement may be an important part of a comprehensive tobacco control program to reduce youth tobacco use
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