Restricting Minors’ Access to Tobacco Products: Retailer Education Without Reinforcement When Used Alone

These education interventions deliver messages to retailers about tobacco sales to minors without providing follow-up and feedback on retailer performance. Education interventions, which aim to increase retailer compliance with prohibitions on the sale of tobacco to minors, include distribution of information about current or recent changes in local or state laws governing sales to minors as well as distribution of materials such as display signs or training manuals for clerks.

Summary of Task Force Recommendations & Findings

The Community Preventive Services Task Force finds insufficient evidence to determine the effectiveness of retailer education without reinforcement when implemented alone in reducing minors’ access to tobacco because of the small number of qualifying studies and lack of measurement of youth tobacco use or purchase behaviors.

Task Force Finding

Results from the Systematic Reviews

Three studies qualified for the review. The three reviewed studies evaluated mailed educational messages or a combination of mailed messages and face-to-face encounters. None of the studies provided measurements of youth tobacco use or purchase behaviors.

These findings were based on a systematic review of all available studies, conducted on behalf of the Task Force by a team of specialists in systematic review methods, and in research, practice and policy related to tobacco use.

Economic Review

An economic review of this intervention was not conducted because the Task Force found insufficient evidence to determine its effectiveness.

Supporting Materials

• Research gaps
• Summary evidence tables [PDF - 1.06KB]
• Included studies

Publications

Task Force on Community Preventive Services. Tobacco. [PDF - 3.63KB] In : Zaza S, Briss PA, Harris KW, eds. The Guide to Community Preventive Services: What Works to Promote Health? Atlanta (GA): Oxford University Press;2005:3-79.

More Community Guide publications about Tobacco Use

---



Sample Citation

The content of publications of the Guide to Community Preventive Services is in the public domain. Citation as to source, however, is appreciated. Sample citation: Guide to Community Preventive Services. Restricting minors’ access to tobacco products: retailer education without reinforcement. www.thecommunityguide.org/tobacco/restrictingaccess/REwithoutreinforcement.html. Last updated: MM/DD/YYYY.

Review completed: June 2001