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Which adults do underaged youth ask for cigarettes?
K M Ribisl1, G J Norman, B Howard-Pitney
1Stanford Center for Research in Disease Prevention, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, Calif., USA. kribisl@sph.unc.edu
American Journal of Public Health
|October 8, 1999
Summary
Younger adults are more likely to be asked to provide tobacco to minors. Interventions are needed to decrease tobacco
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Tobacco Control
- Adolescent Health
Background:
- Tobacco use remains a significant public health concern.
- The social supply of tobacco to minors is a critical factor in adolescent smoking initiation.
- Understanding adult characteristics associated with providing tobacco to minors is essential for targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify demographic and smoking behavior characteristics of adults who are asked to provide tobacco to minors.
- To analyze the relationship between age, sex, income, and smoking status and being approached to supply tobacco.
Main Methods:
- A large-scale telephone survey of 6352 California adults was conducted.
- Data collected included participant demographics (age, sex, income) and smoking status.
- Statistical analysis was used to identify predictors of being asked to provide tobacco to a minor.
Main Results:
- Only 10.1% of California adults reported being asked to provide tobacco to a minor in the past year.
- Older adults (55+) were rarely asked (less than 3%).
- Younger smokers, particularly 18-19 year olds (59.0%) and 20-24 year olds (39.3%), were significantly more likely to be approached.
Conclusions:
- The social availability of tobacco to minors is a concerning issue, particularly involving younger adults.
- Targeted interventions are necessary to reduce tobacco provision to minors.
- Future research should explore effective strategies to curb this behavior.