Youth Prevention

Research

Special issue of Thorax: Smoking in the Movies
The October issue of the journal Thorax focuses on smoking in the movies. Studies center on exposure to smoking in movies and the effects it has on adolescents. The journal also includes a study on the effects of children’s exposure to smoking by parents and siblings. Click here to view the table of contents.

Smoking is a drag at the box office: An analysis of top-grossing movies from the last decade shows that films with smoking make less money
According to a new study, R-rated movies that depict smoking make less money than PG-13 movies that do not depict smoking. The researchers discovered this profit difference by comparing profits from movies with and without smoking that were released between 2002 and 2010. The authors believe these results show that requiring an R rating for movies depicting smoking will not conflict with economic interests of movie producers and distributors. Read more here, or click here to view the abstract of the study in Tobacco Control.

Which interventions against the sale of tobacco to minors can be expected to reduce smoking?
The tobacco industry has a history of contesting the enforcement of age restrictions on tobacco sales, stating that these efforts do little to prevent youth from smoking. Results from a literature review conducted by a researcher at the University of Massachusetts Medical School break that myth, and show that programs that disrupt the sale of tobacco to minors are effective in decreasing adolescent smoking. Therefore, the author stresses that governments should carry out programs that stop the sale of tobacco to minors. Read the abstract published in Tobacco Control here.

Effectiveness of a school nurse-delivered smoking cessation intervention for adolescents
According to an article published in Pediatrics, a school nurse-delivered cessation program can improve short-term smoking cessation and lead to a reduction in the amount and frequency of smoking. Adolescents were randomized to a nurse-delivered cessation intervention or control group, and then the researchers examined smoking habits at three months and twelve months. The results show that a short-term reduction in smoking frequency and increase in quit rates were achieved in the intervention group compared to the control group, but at twelve months there was no difference. The authors conclude that more research is needed to boost quit rates and determine how to help youth maintain smoking abstinence. Click here to read an article on the findings, or read the study abstract here.

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Reports

Study on tobacco sales to minors notes more problems in rural areas (AZ)
According to Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne, the illegal sale of tobacco to minors is a larger problem in rural areas compared to urban parts of the state. The state of Arizona conducted a statewide inspection of tobacco retailers in fiscal year 2011 and discovered that in rural areas, minors are sold tobacco products 25% of the time, compared to 15% in urban areas. Although some people question the methods used in the inspection, Horne’s press secretary stands behind the results. In response to the study, the Attorney General’s office has released a public service announcement warning tobacco retailers about the punishments associated with selling tobacco to minors. Read more here.

Tobacco sales to California minors hit all-time low (CA)
According to the California Department of Public Health, only six percent of stores illegally sold cigarettes to minors in 2011, down from eight percent in 2010. Retailers that sell tobacco products to minors are subject to fines between $200 and $600. Although California public health officials are excited about the decrease in illegal sales, they emphasize that there are still stores illegally selling tobacco products to minors, and that they must work to continue to lower the prevalence of illegal tobacco sales. Click here to learn more, read a press release from the California Department of Public Health here, and see a graphical representation of the data by clicking here.

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