Smoker sensitivity to retail tobacco displays and quitting: a cohort study

AIMS: To assess whether sensitivity to point of sale (POS) cigarette displays influences quitting behaviour. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Victoria, Australia. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 222 adult smokers were surveyed at baseline in 2006 and followed-up 18 months later. MEASUREMENTS: Baseline sensitivity to POS displays, which included the frequency of 'noticing displays', 'impulse purchasing behaviour' and 'deciding on brand based on POS displays'; smoking status at follow-up. FINDINGS: At follow-up, 17.0% were no longer smokers. After adjusting for covariates, compared to those with low POS display sensitivity, smokers who had a medium or high level of sensitivity to POS displays were significantly less likely to have quit at follow-up [odds ratio (OR) = 0.32, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.14-0.74; OR = 0.27, 95% CI = 0.08-0.91, respectively]. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of cigarette pack displays in stores may make it more difficult for smokers to quit smoking successfully.