Interventions for preventing tobacco sales to minors

 

Abstract

Background

Laws restricting sales of tobacco products to minors exist in many countries, but young people may still purchase cigarettes easily.

Objectives

The review assesses the effects of interventions to reduce underage access to tobacco by deterring shopkeepers from making illegal sales.

Search methods

We searched the Cochrane Tobacco Addiction group trials register, MEDLINE and EMBASE. Date of the most recent searches: April 2008.

Selection criteria

We included controlled trials and uncontrolled studies with pre- and post-intervention assessment of interventions to change retailers' behaviour. The outcomes were changes in retailer compliance with legislation (assessed by test purchasing), and changes in young people's smoking behaviour and their perceived ease of access to tobacco products.

Data collection and analysis

Studies were prescreened for relevance by one person and assessed for inclusion by two people independently. Data from included studies were extracted by one person and checked by a second. Study designs and types of intervention were heterogeneous so results were synthesised narratively, with greater weight given to controlled studies.

Main results

We identified 35 studies of which 14 had data from a control group for at least one outcome. Giving retailers information was less effective in reducing illegal sales than active enforcement and/or multicomponent educational strategies. No strategy achieved complete, sustained compliance. In three controlled trials, there was little effect of intervention on youth perceptions of access to tobacco products or prevalence of youth smoking.

Authors' conclusions

Interventions with retailers can lead to large decreases in the number of outlets selling tobacco to youths. However, few of the communities studied in this review achieved sustained levels of high compliance. This may explain why there is limited evidence for an effect of intervention on youth perception of ease of access to tobacco, and on smoking behaviour.

 

Plain language summary

Can illegal cigarette sales to underage youth be prevented, and does it change their smoking behaviour

If young people are unable to purchase cigarettes it may reduce the number who start to smoke. Various interventions including warnings and fines for retailers who illegally make sales to underage youth have been shown to reduce the proportion of retailers who are willing to sell tobacco during compliance checks. However it has been difficult to demonstrate a clear effect on young smokers' perceptions of how easily they can buy cigarettes, or on their smoking behaviour.

 

摘要

背景

避免販賣菸品給未成年人的措施

許多國家都有限制販賣菸製品給未成年人的法律，但年輕人仍然可以輕易地買到菸。

目標

本篇評論評估經由阻止店家做出違法交易來降低未成年人購買香菸的成效。

搜尋策略

我門搜尋了Cochrane Tobacco Addiction group trials register, MEDLINE and EMBASE.最近一次的搜尋日期是：2004年9月。

選擇標準

我們納入了改變零售商行為的對照及非對照研究，包含前測及後測。成效是零售商對於法律順從性的改變(經由“試買”來評估)、年輕人吸菸行為的改變以及感覺對獲取菸製品的容易度。

資料收集與分析

1位評論者事先評估研究的相關性，另外2位評論者獨立評估研究是否符合納入標準。一位評論者從納入的研究中擷取資料，另一位則檢查它們。由於實驗設計及介入方式的異質性高，因此最後以敘述的方式來統整資料，並將重點放在對照試驗。

主要結論

我們找出了34個研究，其中，從控制組中至少有一個預後結果的研究有14個。在減少非法買賣方面，與強制執行或/及多要素教育策略相較，給予零售商資訊是比較無效的。沒有一種策略能夠達到完全、持續的順從性。在3個對照研究中顯示，介入方法對於年輕人感覺獲取菸製品的容易度以及吸菸的盛行率只有些微效果。

作者結論

對於零售商的干預，能夠使得販賣香菸給年輕人的數字大幅下降。然而，只有少數幾個列入研究的社區能夠達到持續的高順從性。這或許能夠解釋，為什麼在使年輕人感覺得到菸製品的容易度以及吸菸行為上所做的努力成效有限。

翻譯人

本摘要由彰化基督教醫院莫庚翰翻譯。

此翻譯計畫由臺灣國家衛生研究院(National Health Research Institutes, Taiwan)統籌。

總結

雖然介入能夠降低非法買賣的數字，但年輕人仍然可以買到香菸。如果年輕人無法買到香菸，就可以減少吸菸的數字。各式的介入方式，包含對從事未成年非法銷售的零售商進行警告及罰款，在順從性檢查中，已經能夠減低銷售的比例。然而，對於年輕的吸菸者，要在覺察到購買香菸是有多麼的容易或吸菸行為上顯現出成效是有困難的。