[Monitoring strategy for control of tobacco in Mexico: advertising, promotion and sponsorship, packaging and labeling].
OBJECTIVE
To describe strategies used in the publicity, marketing, and sale, of tobacco products in 12 cities in Mexico.


METHODS
Tobacco products points of sale (POS) were identified within a 500 m radius of Global Youth Tobacco Survey (2005-2006) schools. We used observational surveys and an online Geographic Information System (GIS).


RESULTS
In the 257 schools visited, we found, on average, 8.3 stores and 5 street vendors around each of them. Forty-four percent of the stores had interior tobacco publicity, 8.3% had tobacco products at children's eye level, 6.5% had some promotion, 33.6% had a no selling to minors sign, and 44.4% of stores and 58.8% of street vendors sold single cigarettes.


CONCLUSIONS
Tobacco products are largely publicized and marketed around schools. There is no compliance of tobacco control legislation in regards to selling to minors and single cigarettes. It is necessary to implement a surveillance system to monitor strategies for tobacco control and the tobacco industry.
Centro de Investigación en Salud Poblacional, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México.
Rosibel
R
Rodríguez-Bolaños
Luz Myriam
LM
Reynales-Shigematsu
Norma A
NA
Ibañez-Hernández
René
R
Santos-Luna
Raydel
R
Valdés-Salgado
Erika
E
Avila-Tang
Frances
F
Stillman
D000329:Advertising; D006801:Humans; D040541:Marketing; D008800:Mexico; D011356:Product Labeling; D019064:Product Packaging; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D014505:Urban Population; D062789:Tobacco Products