The effects of combining education and enforcement to reduce tobacco sales to minors. A study of four northern California communities.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the effects of a community education and law enforcement intervention on illegal tobacco sales to minors.


METHODS
A 2-year, before and after trial with retail stores as the unit of analysis.


METHODS
Implementation occurred in four suburban California communities with populations of 25,000 to 100,000.


METHODS
All the retail stores in one intervention community and half the retail stores, randomly selected, in the other three intervention communities (n = 169) were visited by minors aged 14 to 16 years with the intent to purchase tobacco.


METHODS
Ongoing community and merchant education and four law enforcement operations were conducted.


METHODS
Over-the-counter and vending machine sales of tobacco to minors were the primary outcomes.


RESULTS
Among a cohort of stores visited by minors at the pretest (n = 104) in June 1988, 71% sold tobacco over the counter and 92% sold tobacco through vending machines. At posttest 2 in May 1990, 24% sold tobacco over the counter and 93% sold tobacco through vending machines. Of the 31 stores issued citations, 16 were followed into the courts where the fines were dismissed or reduced.


CONCLUSIONS
Education alone had a limited effect on reducing illegal tobacco sales to minors. It did promote community support for more aggressive enforcement strategies. Education plus enforcement decreased significantly over-the-counter sales; vending machine sales were unaffected by these interventions. The lack of support at the judicial level may temper the effectiveness of enforcement. Legislative remedies addressing judicial obstacles and vending machine sales are needed.
Feighery
E
E
Center for Research in Disease Prevention, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94303.
Altman
D G
DG
Shaffer
G
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D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D003132:Commerce; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D010947:Plants, Toxic; D012907:Smoking / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D012926:Social Control, Formal; D014026:Nicotiana