title: Young people, money, and access to tobacco.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The social and family processes involved in children's sources and use of money in relation to buying cigarettes are not well understood. Hence this study investigated how Maori, Pacific Island, European, and Asian school students access cigarettes, with a special focus on their disposable income.
  
  
  METHODS
  Students aged 11-15 years, recruited through schools, participated in 12 focus groups run by ethnically matched senior student facilitators and researchers. Topics discussed included sources of student money, parental monitoring of the use of money and student access to cigarettes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Students reported that young people can easily buy cigarettes from tobacco retailers. They could also be bought cheaply (50 cents for a roll-your-own) and/or on an "I owe you" basis from friends and social suppliers. Students used money from family, and money that was earned, "scabbed", and borrowed from friends. Cigarettes were also obtained freely from family members or from adults on the street. Whilst parents monitored students' use of large amounts of money, participants experienced relative freedom to spend small amounts which they saved out of money provided by parents for lunches and other purposes. Students were open to parental advice on how to use money but felt they should have the final say.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cigarettes continue to be accessible to children free or at affordable prices. Adults and family members must be discouraged from supplying cigarettes to children. Parents should be made aware of the way children use small amounts of money and advised to monitor, educate, and guide them to discourage cigarette purchase.
authors.affiliation: School of Health Care Practice, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, AUT University, Auckland, New Zealand. grace.wong@aut.ac.nz
authors.forename: Grace
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Marewa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Glover
authors.forename: Vili
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Nosa
authors.forename: Becky
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Freeman
authors.forename: Janine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Paynter
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Scragg
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D035841:Behavioral Research; D002648:Child; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012574:Schools; D012907:Smoking / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012932:Social Facilitation; D013334:Students; D019460:Tobacco Industry