Laying down the law: reducing illegal tobacco sales to minors in central Harlem.
OBJECTIVE
This study compared the impact of educational and enforcement interventions on retailers' sale of tobacco to minors in Central Harlem, New York.


METHODS
In a randomized trial with repeated measures, 152 stores were randomly divided into control, education, and enforcement groups.


RESULTS
Overall tobacco sales to 12- and 13-year-old minors at baseline (98%) were among the highest in the nation. At 6-month and 1-year follow-ups, decreases in rates of tobacco sales to minors were modest among education stores and substantial among enforcement stores.


CONCLUSIONS
Effective reduction of tobacco sales to minors may require ongoing enforcement measures, including fines for retailers who violate state and local laws.
Gemson
D H
DH
Division of Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University School of Public Health, New York, NY 10032, USA.
Moats
H L
HL
Watkins
B X
BX
Ganz
M L
ML
Robinson
S
S
Healton
E
E
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009519:New York City; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D014505:Urban Population