Youth Prevention

Research

The impact of state tobacco control program funding cuts on teens' exposure to tobacco control interventions: evidence from Florida (FL)
Research published in the American Journal of Health Promotion indicates that budget cuts to the Florida Tobacco Control Program (FTCP) resulted in lower exposure to tobacco control interventions among teens. Six waves of 12 to 17 year olds within Florida and in the rest of the United States were surveyed to assess exposure to tobacco control interventions like tobacco countermarketing, in-school tobacco prevention curricula, and school and community organizations. Three waves occurred before the FTCP budget was cut in 2004, and the other three occurred afterward. Analysis showed that there were significant declines in exposure to tobacco countermarketing campaigns and a smaller decrease in in-school tobacco prevention and school youth organizations in Florida compared with the rest of the U.S. following the budget cut. The results of this study suggest that decreases in funding of state tobacco control programs lead to reduced exposure to intervention activities, which could affect tobacco use among youth. Click here to read the study abstract.

Peers, tobacco advertising, and secondhand smoke exposure influence smoking initiation in diverse adolescents (MD)
Research published in the American Journal of Health Promotion shows that media exposure, peer influence, and secondhand smoke exposure were significant factors influencing smoking initiation among adolescents in Maryland. Data from the 2006 Maryland Youth Tobacco Survey were used to investigate factors associated with smoking initiation in a racially and ethnically diverse sample of 57,072 middle and high school students. The factors examined included social and media influence, exposure to secondhand smoke, use of tobacco products, age, race/ethnicity, and geographic region. The results showed that smoking initiation was positively associated with older age, living with a smoker, being exposed to secondhand smoke, having certain risk perceptions, having friends that smoke, having friends that offer tobacco, using other tobacco products, and exposure to advertisements for tobacco products. Composite measures of peer influence, advertising exposure, and secondhand smoke exposure were found to be the most important factors across racial and ethnic groups, demonstrating a need for educational and awareness campaigns targeting parents and adolescents. Read more here.

Study: Community ties protect low-income teens from smoking, obesity
A recent study shows that while lower income is associated with youth smoking and obesity, community cohesion can minimize the effect of income on these health outcomes. Researchers surveyed 196 adolescents and their mothers in rural New York to gather information on youths’ smoking, body mass index (BMI), family income-to-needs ratio, and community social capital across three domains: community cohesion, social control, and youths’ relationships with adults in the community. When comparing income-to-needs ratio at age nine to smoking status and BMI percentile at age 17, researchers found that higher community social capital was associated with a decrease in smoking frequency and percentile BMI. The authors note that while community social capital can help alleviate adverse health outcomes related to poverty, poor communities tend to be less healthy than more affluent ones. Click here to read more, or click here to read the study abstract, published in Psychological Science.

Depictions of tobacco use in 2007 broadcast television programming popular among US youth
A new study published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine indicates that television shows popular with youth contain substantial amounts of tobacco use. Researchers counted depictions of tobacco use in network television programming popular with youth aged 12 to 17 during the fall 2007 season, analyzing each episode. They found that 40% of episodes had at least one depiction of tobacco use. When the shows were classified by Parental Guidelines rating, 50% of TV-PG rated shows and 26% of TV-14 rated shows depicted one or more tobacco use incidents. Networks FOX and the CW had the highest proportions of episodes containing tobacco use at 44% and 41%, respectively. The researchers estimated that over one million youth were exposed to depictions of tobacco use through these television programs, and call for further restrictions on tobacco use imagery in television programming. Click here to read the study abstract.

Reducing youth exposure to tobacco product advertising: Examining the impact of FDA regulations restricting outdoor cigarette advertising near schools
In a recent study, researchers examined the potential effects of new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rules that would restrict outdoor tobacco advertising near schools and playgrounds. The data showed that such a measure would effectively reduce tobacco advertising, but not as severely as the tobacco industry has predicted. GIS spatial analyses were performed to determine the number of tobacco retailers that fell within 350, 500, and 1000 feet of schools or playgrounds in Missouri and New York, including detailed analyses of St. Louis and New York City. The results showed that 22% of retailers in Missouri and 51% in New York State fall within 1000-foot buffers around schools, and that within cities, more retailers fall within the buffers, 29% in St. Louis and 79% in New York City. Smaller buffer zones greatly reduced the regulation’s reach; 350 foot buffers applied to only 6.7% of retailers in St. Louis and 29% in New York City. Based on this data, the authors suggest that the FDA choose the larger 1000-foot buffer zone over the 350-foot buffer zone to better shield kids from tobacco advertising. Click here to read more, or click here to read the study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

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Reports

Archived Warner Series webcast: From silver screen to flat screen: The deadly impact of smoking on television on America's youth
New findings from research in the February 2011 Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine show that substantial amounts of tobacco images are present in television programming popular among youth. In this February 18th webinar held by Legacy, panelists discussed why images of smoking in movies, media and television have a profound effect on youth smoking initiation. The panel discussed what public health, policy leaders and the entertainment industry can do together to avert tobacco-related disease and death through responsible depictions of smoking in media. The webcast is part of the Warner Lecture Series hosted by Legacy to further discussion and knowledge on topics of relevance to public health and tobacco control. Click here for more information, and to view the webcast. Related: Daryl Hannah teams up with Legacy to engage film students in socially responsible filmmaking In an effort to protect youth from the negative impact of smoking scenes in movies, Legacy is asking aspiring filmmakers to think twice before using cigarettes as props in film. With the help of actress and activist Daryl Hannah, Legacy developed a six-minute documentary titled Redefining Cool, which can be found on the Legacy Facebook page.

Tobacco sales to Indiana minors in annual inspection hit all-time low (IN)
According to new data from Indiana’s Tobacco Retailer Inspection Program (TRIP), tobacco sales to minors have dropped to an all-time low. In the inspections, TRIP youth attempted to purchase cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, or cigars from a clerk working at the retailer being inspected. If the youth was able to purchase the tobacco product, the store was issued a notice of violation, which carries a fine of $200 to $1,000. During the 2010 inspections, the overall rate of sales to minors was 3.8%, which varied slightly by product; cigars were sold to youth 5.6% of the time, while cigarettes were sold 2.7% of the time. Forty percent of retailers sold tobacco to minors when inspections began in 2000, and an overall downward trend has been observed since then. Read more here.

Tobacco Quit Line now available for younger Kentuckians (KY)
Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear has announced that the Kentucky Tobacco Quit Line, formerly open only to adults, is now available for use by teenagers aged 15 to 17. The policy change is an effort to encourage and assist young people who smoke to take action to quit. Data from the 2010 Kentucky Youth Tobacco Survey indicate that nearly 25% of Kentucky’s high school students smoke cigarettes, and about 70% of smokers want to quit. Because over 80% of adult smokers become regular smokers by age 18, offering cessation services to youth is seen as an important way to decrease the smoking prevalence in the state. The quit line offers callers support, one-on-one counseling, and information about local cessation resources. Click here to read more.

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International

Understanding worldwide youth attitudes towards smoke-free policies: An analysis of the Global Youth Tobacco Survey
According to a new study from the Harvard School of Public Health, the majority of youth aged 13 to 15 worldwide support smoke-free policies, regardless of age, gender, or smoking status. Researchers used data from the 2000-2006 Global Youth Tobacco Surveys (GYTS) to gather information on support for smoke-free policies among 356,395 youth in 115 countries. The results show that although there was considerable variation by country, overall 77.3% of respondents supported smoke-free polices. Knowledge of the harm of tobacco smoke exposure, exposure to countermarketing efforts, and exposure to antismoking education in school were the strongest predictors of support for smoke-free policies, while current smoking, susceptibility to smoking, and exposure to tobacco promotion were negatively associated with smoke-free policy support. The authors suggest that putting more effort into anti-tobacco education would be important in perpetuating positive attitudes towards smoke-free policies and encouraging future policy actions. Click here to read the abstract of the study, published in Tobacco Control.

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