Preventive Medicine
Volume 37, Issue 5 , November 2003, Pages 529-533

Is restricting tobacco sales the answer to adolescent smoking?

M. Staff MBBS, MMedSc, FAFPHM, , a, C. M. Bennett BSc(Hons), MappEpid,
Ph.D.b and P. Angel BSca

a Public Health Unit, Northern Sydney Health, Sydney, Australia
b Department of Public Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne,
Australia

Available online 24 September 2003.

Abstract
Background
Enforcement of legislation restricting retail access to tobacco is
increasingly relied on to reduce adolescent smoking rates. In 1996, health
authorities in the Northern Sydney Health Area began monitoring tobacco
retailer compliance (PROOF program) with staged purchase attempts by
adolescents below the legal age (18 years).

Methods
Repeat cross-sectional surveys before (1995) and after (2000) the
introduction of PROOF monitored changes in adolescent smoking behaviour.
Students aged 12 to 17 years from 11 Northern Sydney metropolitan public
secondary schools were surveyed for self-reported smoking and tobacco
purchasing behavior in 1995 (n = 5,206) and 2000 (n = 4,120).

Results
Between 1996 and 2000, 545 retailer compliance checks found 34% unlawfully
sold cigarettes to minors and 28% of these repeated the offence. Nine
prosecutions resulted. Modelling revealed a significant association between
the intervention and never having smoked (adjusted OR = 1.16, 95% CI =
1.01?1.33) although there was no significant association with being a
current smoker. The odds of being a smoker were greater for students from
coeducational schools, with this effect being modified by gender.

Conclusions
There was no reduction in adolescent smoking with active enforcement of
tobacco access laws despite an apparent increase in students who reported
never to have smoked.

Author Keywords: Smoking, prevention and control; Smoking, legislation and
jurisprudence; Adolescence; Program evaluation; Public health practice,
legislation and jurisprudence


Corresponding author.

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