Effect of a retailer intervention on cigarette sales to minors in San Diego County, California

Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, Behavioral and Community Health Studies, 6363 Alvarado Court, Suite 225, San Diego, California 92120, USA K D Keay S I Woodruff M B Wildey E M Kenney Abstract Objective To assess the effectiveness of a retailer educational campaign in re ducing the illegal sale of cigarettes to minors in San Diego County, California, USA. Design A pre-test post-test control group design to study the effects of the programme, including information on sales rates to minors and sales activity. Setting A variety of store types in eth nically diverse communities in San Diego County. Subjects 260 retail outlets. Primary interventions Direct retailer education, mass media, and grass roots work within the community. Main outcome measures Cigarette sales to minors. Results -260 stores were visited by minors, aged 12-17 years, with the intent of purchasing cigarettes. The minors were successful at 69.9% of the stores surveyed. The percentage of stores il legally selling cigarettes to minors was significantly reduced (to 32.2 %) in the 143 stores which had received retailer edu cation one month after the intervention ended. Control stores also showed a slight, nonsignificant, reduction (59.0%). Conclusion An intensive retailer edu cational programme can have a sig nificant effect in reducing the illegal sales rate of cigarettes to minors. (Tobacco Control 1993; 2: 145-151)