LEBANON, NEW HAMPSHIRE — More than 15 years ago, many states and tobacco manufacturers established restrictions to prevent youth exposure to the marketing of nicotine products. This follows regulations imposed 50 years ago that banned cigarette ads from TV. Despite these continued efforts, a new study by Dartmouth researchers reveals that not only are young people exposed to tobacco marketing, they are influenced by it. According to a study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, exposure to “direct marketing” is associated with increased use of tobacco.

“For several years, the emphasis in the tobacco industry has been on direct marketing, especially to young people who are highly price sensitive and who may find coupons, samples, and promotions appealing,” said lead author Samir Soneji, PhD, Norris Cotton Cancer Center researcher and assistant professor at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice.

Soneji’s research team explored whether exposure to tobacco coupons and websites would increase the chances that a young person would start to smoke. “We found that both direct mail [coupons] and exposure to tobacco websites were associated with increased chances of smoking initiation and current smoking” said Soneji.

Overall, 12 percent of […]