Abstract
Objectives
The retail environment provides important opportunities for tobacco industry communication with current, former, and potential smokers. This study documented the extent of tobacco promotions at the retail point-of-sale and examined associations between the extent of tobacco promotions and relevant city and store characteristics.
Methods
In each of 20 Ontario cities, 24 establishments were randomly selected from lists of convenience stores, gas stations, and grocery stores. Trained observers captured the range, type and intensity of tobacco promotions from April to July 2005. The extent of tobacco promotions was described using weighted descriptive statistics. Weighted t-tests and ANOVAs, and hierarchical linear modeling, were used to examine the relationships between tobacco promotions and city and store characteristics.
Results
Extensive tobacco promotions were found in Ontario stores one year prior to the implementation of a partial ban on retail displays, particularly in chain convenience stores, gas station convenience stores and independent convenience stores. The multivariate hierarchical linear model confirmed differences in the extent of tobacco promotions by store type (p<0.01); in addition, tobacco promotions were found to be higher among stores close to a school (p=0.01) and in neighbourhoods with lower median household incomes (p<0.01). Independent convenience stores with a greater number of employees had more tobacco promotions; however, the relationship was reversed for grocery stores.
Discussion
Tobacco promotions were extensive at the point-of-sale. Public health messages about the harms of tobacco use may be compromised by the pervasiveness of these promotions.
Key words: Tobacco, marketing, smoking, socioeconomic factors, observation
Résumé
Objectif
Le commerce de détail offre de bonnes occasions aux fabricants de tabac de communiquer avec les fumeurs (actuels, anciens ou potentiels). Dans cette étude, nous avons documenté l’étendue de la publicité sur le tabac aux points de vente et examiné les associations entre cette publicité et les caractéristiques du point de vente et de la ville.
Méthode
Dans 20 villes de l’Ontario, nous avons choisi au hasard 24 établissements à partir des listes de leurs dépanneurs, stations-service et épiceries. Des observatrices formées ont noté la gamme, le genre et l’intensité des publicités de tabac entre avril et juillet 2005. L’étendue de cette publicité a été analysée à l’aide de statistiques descriptives pondérées. Pour examiner les liens entre la publicité et les caractéristiques du point de vente et de la ville, nous avons utilisé des tests T pondérés, des analyses de variance et des modèles linéaires hiérarchiques.
Résultats
Un an avant la mise en œuvre d’une interdiction partielle de la publicité aux points de vente en Ontario, nous avons observé un nombre considérable de publicités de tabac dans le commerce de détail, surtout dans les chaînes de dépanneurs, les dépanneurs de stations-service et les dépanneurs indépendants. Le modèle linéaire hiérarchique multivarié a confirmé des différences dans l’étendue de la publicité selon le type de point de vente (p<0,01); de plus, les publicités de tabac étaient plus intensives dans les points de vente à proximité des écoles (p=0,01) et dans les quartiers économiquement faibles (p<0,01). Les dépanneurs indépendants qui avaient davantage de personnel avaient aussi davantage de publicités de tabac, mais c’était l’inverse dans les épiceries.
Discussion
La publicité sur le tabac aux points de vente était considérable. Il est possible que les campagnes de mise en garde contre le tabagisme soient compromises par l’omniprésence de cette publicité.
Mots clés: tabac, marketing, tabagisme, facteurs socioéconomiques, observation
Footnotes
(at the time the study was conducted)
Acknowledgements:This research was funded through the strategic initiative Advancing the Science to Reduce Tobacco Abuse and Nicotine Addiction. This initiative is a partnership of government and non-profit organizations under the coordination of the Canadian Tobacco Control Research Initiative (CTCRI). The authors acknowledge the following individuals who have contributed to this research: J. Charles Victor (sampling, GIS mapping); Dolly Baliunas, Ellie Goldenberg and Maya Saibil (map and store list preparation); Dolly Baliunas, Brooke Filsinger and Jessica van Exan (data collection); Joanne Cordingley (data entry); Shannon Gordon (obtaining store data from the Canadian Business Directory); Itasha O’Gilvie (determining school proximity to stores); and Tamara Arenovich (data analysis, statistical consulting and manuscript review).
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