Testing Legally Feasible Options: Study 1
Study Details
Study Description
Brief Summary
The overall aim of this research is to experimentally evaluate different, legally-viable approaches to reducing the impact of the point-of-sale (POS) retail environment on adolescent tobacco use risk. This study will be investigating the regulations for four classes of tobacco products (cigarettes, e-cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, little cigars/cigarillos). Study 1 (study 1 out of 3 proposed) will examine whether eliminating the sale of flavored tobacco products at POS reduced adolescents' tobacco use risk.
| Condition or Disease | Intervention/Treatment | Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
N/A |
Detailed Description
Tobacco advertising at retail point-of-sale (POS) includes promotional allowances that permit tobacco products to be advertised and sold at reduced cost to consumers (e.g., two-for-one specials); high visibility sale and therefore placement of hundreds of tobacco products on power walls; and the display of a large, diverse collection of poster advertisements on the exterior of the stores. Adolescents are at significant risk for having repeated exposures to this tobacco rich POS environment and such exposures contribute to increases in adolescent tobacco use. Although curbing the effect of the tobacco rich POS environment on adolescent tobacco use is a critical public health goal, some POS advertising regulations are unlikely to be viable in the United States because they impinge upon the tobacco industry's commercial free speech rights. For example, eliminating the tobacco power wall is probably not a viable option in the US as it has been successfully challenged in court by the tobacco industry. POS regulations that do not violate the industry's commercial free speech rights stand a better chance of being upheld by the courts. For example, eliminating tobacco product price promotions, reducing the availability of tobacco products by restricting the sale of flavored products, and restricting how much door/window space tobacco product posters can occupy at POS, all have been implemented as feasible and legally defensible regulatory options at POS. The evidence base supporting the efficacy of these initiatives is, however, almost non-existent - leaving them open to legal scrutiny. The overall aim of this research is to experimentally evaluate different, legally-viable approaches to reducing the impact of the POS retail environment on adolescent tobacco use risk. This research will be investigating the regulations for four classes of tobacco products (cigarettes, e-cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, little cigars/cigarillos): the extent to which eliminating tobacco product price promotions (Study 2), restricting how much door/window space tobacco posters can occupy at POS (Study 3), and eliminating the sale of flavored and/or mentholated tobacco products (Study 1) reduce adolescent tobacco-use risk. Each study will evaluate for possible gender and race (African-American vs Caucasian) differences. The studies will take place in the RAND StoreLab, a life-sized replica of a convenience store that was developed to experimentally evaluate how altering aspects of tobacco promotion at POS influences tobacco use. The present record is for Study 1.
Study Design
Arms and Interventions
| Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
|---|---|
| Active Comparator: Status Quo The StoreLab power wall will display all tobacco products. |
Other: All flavored and mentholated products available
No bans: All tobacco products are available
|
| Experimental: Flavors Banned The StoreLab will display tobacco products without characterizing flavors, but will allow mint and menthol products to be displayed. |
Other: Flavor Ban
Only flavored tobacco products are banned
|
| Experimental: Flavors and Menthol Banned The StoreLab will display only tobacco products without characterizing flavors; mint and menthol will not be displayed. |
Other: Flavor Ban
Only flavored tobacco products are banned
Other: Menthol Ban
Mentholated products are banned
|
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcome Measures
- Self-reported cigarette smoking risk after shopping in the StoreLab [There is one visit in this research: This variable is assessed at that visit, immediately after the experimental manipulation.]
Respondents answer the following items: "Do you think you will try a cigarette anytime soon?", "Do you think you will try a cigarette anytime in the next year?"; and "If one of your best friends offered you a cigarette, would you smoke it?". Responses are made on a 1 (Definitely not) to 4 (Definitely yes) scale and summed to produce a total smoking risk scale score (range from 3 - 12). Higher scores reflect greater risk.
- Self-reported vaping/ENDDS risk of use [There is one visit in this research: This variable is assessed at that visit, immediately after the experimental manipulation.]
Respondents answer the following items: "Do you think you will try a vaping product anytime soon?", "Do you think you will try a vaping product anytime in the next year?"; and "If one of your best friends offered you a vaping product, would you use it?". Responses are made on a 1 (Definitely not) to 4 (Definitely yes) scale and summed to produce a total vaping risk scale score (range from 3 - 12). Higher scores reflect greater risk.
- Self-reported smokeless tobacco use risk [There is one visit in this research: This variable is assessed at that visit, immediately after the experimental manipulation.]
Respondents answer the following items: "Do you think you will use smokeless tobacco anytime soon?", "Do you think you will try smokeless tobacco anytime in the next year?"; and "If one of your best friends offered you smokeless tobacco, would you use it?". Responses are made on a 1 (Definitely not) to 4 (Definitely yes) scale and summed to produce a total smokeless tobacco risk scale score (range from 3 - 12). Higher scores reflect greater risk.
- Self-reported cigarillo use risk [There is one visit in this research: This variable is assessed at that visit, immediately after the experimental manipulation.]
Respondents answer the following items: "Do you think you will try a cigarillo anytime soon?", "Do you think you will try a cigarillo anytime in the next year?"; and "If one of your best friends offered you a cigarillo, would you smoke it?". Responses are made on a 1 (Definitely not) to 4 (Definitely yes) scale and summed to produce a total cigarillo risk scale score (range from 3 - 12). Higher scores reflect greater risk.
Eligibility Criteria
Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- ages 11-17, parental consent/adolescent assent
Exclusion Criteria:
-
any medical or psychiatric condition which would make compliance with the study protocol difficult (based on parent report).
-
Previous participation (by either adolescent or parent) in a previous StoreLab study
Contacts and Locations
Locations
| Site | City | State | Country | Postal Code | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RAND | Pittsburgh | Pennsylvania | United States | 15213 |
Sponsors and Collaborators
- RAND
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: William G Shadel, PhD, RAND
Study Documents (Full-Text)
None provided.More Information
Publications
None provided.- R01CA236608