The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #69984

Nancy Rigotti, MD¹, Susan Moran, MD¹, and Henry Wechsler, PhD². (1) Tobacco Research and Treatment Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, 50 Staniford Street, 9th floor, Boston, MA 02114, 617 724 4709, nrigotti@partners.org, (2) Department of Health and Social Behavior, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115

The tobacco industry has developed new marketing strategies targeting young adults aged 18-24 years, in whom tobacco use has increased. One approach is to sponsor social events in bars, nightclubs, and on college campuses at which free cigarettes and promotional items are distributed. The extent of this new marketing or its effect on tobacco use is not known. We analyzed data from the 2001 Harvard College Alcohol Study, a mailed survey of 10,904 randomly-selected students enrolled in a nationally-representative sample of 119 U.S. four-year colleges. In the first 6 months of the 2000-01 school year, 8.5% of students had attended a bar, nightclub or campus social event where free cigarettes were distributed. Exposure occurred at 99% of schools. Exposure to these promotional events was associated with a higher prevalence of current cigarette smoking, even after adjusting for demographic factors, alcohol use, and attendance at bars and clubs (AOR 1.75, 95% CI 1.47-2.08, p<.001). The relationship held for students who were not regular smokers before age 19 (AOR 1.72, 95% CI 1.35-2.21) but not among those who entered college as regular smokers (AOR 1.10, 95% CI 0.76-1.59). Attendance at a tobacco-industry sponsored promotional event in a bar, nightclub, or college campus is associated with higher cigarette smoking by U.S. college students. While a cross-sectional survey cannot prove causality, these data are consistent with a conclusion that the new marketing strategy is promoting tobacco use among young adults, especially college students who did not enter college as regular smokers.

Learning Objectives:

• to identify the extent of college students' exposure to new tobacco industry marketing activities

Keywords: Tobacco Industry, College Students

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.