This experiment tested whether changing the location or visibility of the tobacco power wall in a life sized replica of a convenience store had any effect on adolescents' susceptibility to future cigarette smoking.

Hiding the Tobacco Power Wall Reduces Cigarette Smoking Risk in Adolescents

Using an Experimental Convenience Store to Assess Tobacco Regulatory Options at Retail Point-of-Sale

William G. Shadel, Steven C. Martino, Claude Messan Setodji, Deborah M. Scharf, Daniela Kusuke, Angela Sicker, Min Gong

ResearchPosted on rand.org Dec 3, 2015Published in: Tobacco Control, 2015

OBJECTIVES: This experiment tested whether changing the location or visibility of the tobacco power wall in a life sized replica of a convenience store had any effect on adolescents' susceptibility to future cigarette smoking. METHODS: The study was conducted in the RAND StoreLab (RSL), a life sized replica of a convenience store that was developed to experimentally evaluate how changing aspects of tobacco advertising displays in retail point-of-sale environments influences tobacco use risk and behavior. A randomized, between-subjects experimental design with three conditions that varied the location or visibility of the tobacco power wall within the RSL was used. The conditions were: cashier (the tobacco power wall was located in its typical position behind the cash register counter); sidewall (the tobacco power wall was located on a sidewall away from the cash register); or hidden (the tobacco power wall was located behind the cashier but was hidden behind an opaque wall). The sample included 241 adolescents. RESULTS: Hiding the tobacco power wall significantly reduced adolescents' susceptibility to future cigarette smoking compared to leaving it exposed (ie, the cashier condition; p=0.02). Locating the tobacco power wall on a sidewall away from the cashier had no effect on future cigarette smoking susceptibility compared to the cashier condition (p=0.80). CONCLUSIONS: Hiding the tobacco power wall at retail point-of-sale locations is a strong regulatory option for reducing the impact of the retail environment on cigarette smoking risk in adolescents.

Key Findings

  • In a replica of a convenience store configuration, hiding the tobacco power wall significantly reduced adolescents’ susceptibility to smoking cigarettes in the future in comparison to configurations in which the power wall was visible.
  • Adolescents' scores of smoking susceptibility for other configurations of the power wall suggest that any visible power wall location is unlikely to reduce future smoking risk among adolescents.
  • The study results provide information relevant to point of sale regulations under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Centers for Tobacco Products (FDA-CTP).
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Document Details

  • Copyright: BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
  • Availability: Non-RAND
  • Year: 2015
  • Pages: 6
  • Document Number: EP-50972

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