Usual sources of cigarettes for middle and high school students--Texas, 1998-1999.

Full Abstract

Persons often begin smoking when they are minors (aged <18 years), and easy access to cigarettes might contribute to this behavior. Laws and regulations were in place in Texas during 1998-1999 to reduce minors' access to cigarettes by 1) prohibiting the sale and distribution of tobacco products to minors; 2) imposing fines against retailers caught selling cigarettes to minors; 3) prohibiting minors from purchasing, possessing, or using tobacco products; 4) limiting vending machines to adult-only locations; and 5) requiring tobacco retailers to ask for proof of identification from anyone attempting to purchase tobacco who appeared to be aged <27 years. To measure progress in reducing access to cigarettes among middle and high school students in Texas, CDC analyzed self-reported data from the 1998 and 1999 Texas Youth Tobacco Survey (TYTS). This report summarizes the results of that survey, which indicate that during 1998-1999, reported access to cigarettes from stores and vending machines (commercial sources) decreased among middle school students from 13.2% to 5.3% and from 7.6% to 1.7%, respectively, but access from noncommercial and other sources (e.g., stealing cigarettes and "getting them some other way") increased from 8.3% to 12.3% and from 16.6% to 23.3%, respectively. Among high school students, most sources did not change. Educating retailers and actively enforcing laws governing youth access to tobacco as part of a comprehensive tobacco-control approach are required to reduce youth access to cigarettes.

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Author information

Author/s: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC);

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report (MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2002-Oct; vol 51 (issue 40) : pp 900-1

Dates: Created 2002/11/06; Completed 2002/11/12; Revised 2008/02/14;

PMID: 12418543, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adolescent
Child
Commerce
Humans

Humans
Smoking - economics; epidemiology
Students
Texas - epidemiology

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