Karolinska Institutet, Department of Public Health Sciences, Division of Social Medicine

Abstract

Age-limits on the purchase of tobacco is a strategy for reducing recruitment of young smokers. A voluntary agreement has existed in Sweden since 1995 concerning an age-limit. In 1997 this was replaced by a law placing an age-limit of 18 on the purchase and import of all forms of tobacco products.

The objective of this study was to study if and how sales establishments posted information about the 18-year age-limit for the purchase of tobacco.

The study has been carried out in the form of a investigation both prior to 1996 and after legislation. Three different geographical areas (inner-city, suburbs, rural/countryside) with higher and lower socio-economic status were selected, six areas in all. Each area had to contain a high school with at least two parallel classes consisting of pupils aged 13-15 years.

Twelve of a total of 60 observed sales establishments (20%) had posted information at the time of the voluntary age-limit in 1996. The corresponding figure in 1997 was 29 establishments (48%) which had posted information on the new law. Stores which had earlier put up signs at the time of the voluntary age-limit informing about the new law to a greater extent. Areas with higher social status and sales establishments in the rural areas had the highest percentage of signs during both study periods (approx. 50%), compared to areas of lower social status (33%). The same situation was also found during the period of the voluntary age-limit. Regarding the various types of sales establishments, there were signs about the law in over half of the observed grocery stores and newsstands. Of 15 observed tobacco stores, only three had posted such signs.

The voluntary agreement drew very little response from the stores. Since legislation, the amount of stores which have signs about the 18-year age-limit on the purchase of tobacco has increased yet approximately half of the totalamount of sales establishments had no information at all concerning the age-limit.

Keywords

Health Policy, Tobacco, Age-limit

Contact:

Tillgren Per

Institution

Karolinska Institutet, Department of Public Health Sciences, Division of Social Medicine

Postaddress

Norrbacka

Postcode

SE-171 76 Stockholm

Country

Sweden

E-mail

per.tillgren@socmed.sll.se

Phone

+ 46 8 517 779 85

Fax

+ 46 8 33 46 93