Restricting Minors’ Access to Tobacco Products: Community Mobilization with Additional Interventions

These are community-wide interventions aimed at focusing public attention on the issue of youth access to tobacco products and mobilizing community support for additional efforts to reduce that access.

Summary of Task Force Recommendations & Findings

The Community Preventive Services Task Force recommends community mobilization combined with additional interventions —such as stronger local laws directed at retailers, active enforcement of retailer sales laws, and retailer education with reinforcement—on the basis of sufficient evidence of effectiveness in reducing youth tobacco use and access to tobacco products from commercial sources.

Task Force Finding

Results from the Systematic Reviews

Nine studies (10 intervention arms) qualified for the review.

• Self-reported tobacco use among youths over follow-up periods of 24-48 months: median decrease of 5.8 percentage points (4 studies)
• Retail tobacco sales to youth: median decrease of 33.5 percentage points (9 studies)
• The evaluated interventions either fostered or were coordinated with additional interventions, such as
  • stronger restrictions on retailer sales of tobacco products;
  • restrictions directed at youth purchase, possession, or use;
  • active enforcement of tobacco sales laws; and
  • retailer education interventions (with or without reinforcement).
• Educational components included
  • community-wide assessments of compliance by tobacco retailers—with dissemination of the results through mass media events and news coverage
  • presentations to civic groups and local governments.
• Community and school meetings and activities, as well as direct contact with local governments through testimony, petitions, letters, and phone calls, also occurred.
• Interventions were conducted in a variety of settings and populations, including urban, suburban, and rural communities in the United States and Australia. In the United States, interventions were implemented in communities that included predominantly African-American, Hispanic or white populations.

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.

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

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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: community mobilization with additional interventions. www.thecommunityguide.org/tobacco/restrictingaccess/communityinterventions.html. Last updated: MM/DD/YYYY.

Review completed: June 2001