title: Out of Sight and Out of Mind? Evaluating the Impact of Point-of-Sale Tobacco Display Bans on Smoking-Related Beliefs and Behaviors in a Sample of Australian Adolescents and Young Adults.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Australian states of New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland implemented bans on tobacco pack displays at point-of-sale (PoS) in July 2010 and November 2011, respectively. This study evaluated the medium-term impact of the bans on youth.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were drawn from the Tobacco Promotion Impact Study, a repeated cross-sectional survey of youth (12-24 years) in NSW and Queensland conducted yearly 2010-2012 (n = 6,014). Regression analyses examined differences in youth's recall of PoS tobacco displays, smoking-related beliefs, and smoking behaviors in relation to the timing of the PoS display bans.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Recall of PoS tobacco displays was significantly less likely for youth interviewed after the bans versus before (OR = 0.45, 95% CI = 0.39, 0.52, p < .01). They were also less likely to report tobacco brand awareness (OR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.62, 0.92, p < .01), to over-estimate peer smoking (OR = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.74, 0.96, p < .01), or be current smokers (OR = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.55, 0.96, p < .05). Stratified analyses showed that these differences were primarily apparent in the group of youth most likely to be affected by tobacco PoS displays: those who visit tobacco retailers most frequently. After the bans, smokers were less likely to report that they think about smoking as a result of seeing PoS tobacco displays (OR = 0.60, 95% CI = 0.37, 0.97, p < .039).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest an immediate impact of display bans on youth's exposure to tobacco pack displays, and likely impacts on smoking-related outcomes. These results suggest that removing tobacco displays from retail environments can positively contribute to the denormalization of smoking among youth.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Institute NSW, Eveleigh, NSW, Australia; sally.dunlop@cancerinstitute.org.au.
authors.forename: Sally
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dunlop
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia;
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kite
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia;
authors.forename: Anne C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Grunseit
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia;
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rissel
authors.affiliation: Cancer Institute NSW, Eveleigh, NSW, Australia;
authors.forename: Donna A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Perez
authors.affiliation: Cancer Institute NSW, Eveleigh, NSW, Australia;
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dessaix
authors.affiliation: Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Trish
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cotter
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia;
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bauman
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia;
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Young
authors.affiliation: Cancer Institute NSW, Eveleigh, NSW, Australia;
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Currow
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D003132:Commerce / Q000639:trends; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009517:New South Wales / Q000453:epidemiology; D011793:Queensland / Q000453:epidemiology; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D019460:Tobacco Industry / Q000379:methods; D062789:Tobacco Products; D055815:Young Adult