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Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWRs)

Point of Purchase Tobacco Environments and Variation by Store Type—United States, 1999

March 8, 2002 / Vol. 51 / No. 9

MMWR Highlights

• According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), tobacco marketing expenditures increased from $6.7 billion in 1998 to $8.2 billion in 1999.
• Researchers from the ImpacTeen Project collected data from 163 communities on in–store tobacco product placement, promotions (discounts or gifts with purchase), tobacco–branded functional objects (free items provided to retailers such as shopping baskets and counter mats with tobacco brands on them), exterior and interior advertisements, and tobacco control signage.
• Ninety–two% of stores analyzed had some form of tobacco advertising including interior or exterior advertisements, self–service pack placement, multi–pack discounts, tobacco–branded functional objects, or tobacco vending machines.
• Eighty% of retailers had interior tobacco advertisements with 22.8 % of stores having high levels of such ads. (A high level of interior advertising is defined as having ads outside areas where tobacco products are sold or displayed.)
• About 59% of retailers had exterior tobacco advertisements with 40.4% of stores having high levels of such ads. (A high level of exterior advertising is defined either as having 5 or more ads or having at least one ad larger than 1 foot in any dimension.)
• Although tobacco control signs, such as "We Card" signs were observed in 65.8% of stores, only 4.1% had tobacco health warning signs.
• Self–service cigarette pack placement was observed in 36.4% of stores.
• Low height ads (ads placed less than 3 ? feet above the floor) were observed in 42.9% of stores.
• Multi–pack discounts were present in 25.2% of stores.
• About 68% of stores had at least one tobacco–branded functional object (such as shopping baskets or counter change mats.)
• Convenience, convenience/gas, and liquor stores were most likely to have "tobacco friendly" environments (i.e., environments within which patrons would be exposed to high tobacco advertisement, promotional, and functional object levels.)
• Prior research indicates 75% of teenagers shop at convenience or convenience/gas stores at least once per week where they are exposed to high levels of tobacco marketing.

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