PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

J R DiFranza

Publications and source records attributed to J R DiFranza.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Pharmacy promotion of tobacco use among children in Massachusetts.

The role played by pharmacies in the promotion and distribution of tobacco to children was assessed in a survey of 100 pharmacies. Of the 100 surveyed, 95 sold tobacco products, 50 advertised tobacco, 42 advertised the cigarette brands that are most appealing to children, and 23 displayed the Camel cartoon advertisements that have been identified as being targeted specifically at children. Candy tobacco products were sold in 22% of the pharmacies. Of the pharmacies selling tobacco, 81% were willing to sell it to minors illegally. The five pharmacies that did not carry tobacco products were independent stores. When compared to chain pharmacies, independent pharmacies more frequently advertised tobacco (p less than 0.05) but were not more likely to sell it to children. The authors contend that pharmacists who sell tobacco violate the profession's Code of Ethics and play an important role in the promotion of tobacco use among children.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

The Tobacco Institute's "It's the Law" campaign: has it halted illegal sales of tobacco to children?

A survey of tobacco retailers was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of the Tobacco Institute's "It's the Law" program, which has the goal of eliminating the illegal sale of tobacco to minors. Only 4.5% (7) of the 156 retailers surveyed were participating in the "It's the Law" program. Eighty-six percent of the retailers who were participating in the program were willing to illegally sell cigarettes to children, compared with 88% (131/149) of the retailers who were not participating.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Preventing teenage tobacco addiction.

Tobacco use remains a major health problem among children and adolescents. Restrictive school policies on tobacco use and enforcement of laws prohibiting the sale of tobacco to minors can produce substantial reductions in tobacco use among this population. This article provides practical, step-by-step instructions to help physicians get these policies implemented in their communities.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

RJR Nabisco's cartoon camel promotes camel cigarettes to children.

OBJECTIVES: To determine if RJR Nabisco's cartoon-theme advertising is more effective in promoting Camel cigarettes to children or to adults. To determine if children see, remember, and are influenced by cigarette advertising. DESIGN: Use of four standard marketing measures to compare the effects of Camel's Old Joe cartoon advertising on children and adults. SUBJECTS: High school students, grades 9 through 12, from five regions of the United States, and adults, aged 21 years and over, from Massachusetts. OUTCOME MEASURES: Recognition of Camel's Old Joe cartoon character, product and brand name recall, brand preference, appeal of advertising themes. RESULTS: Children were more likely to report prior exposure to the Old Joe cartoon character (97.7% vs 72.2%; P less than .0001). Children were better able to identify the type of product being advertised (97.5% vs 67.0%; P less than .0001) and the the Camel cigarette brand name (93.6% vs 57.7%; P less than .0001). Children also found the Camel cigarette advertisements more appealing (P less than .0001). Camel's share of the illegal children's cigarette market segment has increased from 0.5% to 32.8%, representing sales estimated at $476 million per year. CONCLUSION: Old Joe Camel cartoon advertisements are far more successful at marketing Camel cigarettes to children than to adults. This finding is consistent with tobacco industry documents that indicate that a major function of tobacco advertising is to promote and maintain tobacco addiction among children.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Alcoholism and smoking.

A case-control study compared the natural history of cigarette smoking in alcoholic and nonalcoholic populations to determine why alcoholism and smoking are closely associated. Eighty-three percent of alcoholics were smokers compared to 34% of the nonalcoholic subjects. Compared to other children, children who later became alcoholic were more likely to become regular users of tobacco once they had tried it. Only 7% of alcoholic smokers were successful in their attempts to quit smoking compared to 49% of the nonalcoholic smokers. More research comparing the smoking cessation efforts of alcoholics and nonalcoholics is needed to confirm these findings. Alcoholism is estimated to be 10 times more common among smokers than among nonsmokers. Possible explanations for this include a susceptibility on the part of some individuals to addictive drugs in general, and/or for some individuals tobacco smoking and alcoholism are both sequelae of a propensity to behave irresponsibly.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Legislative efforts to protect children from tobacco.

Public health laws intended to prevent children from smoking have been enacted in many states. We surveyed the relevant laws in all states and the District of Columbia. The efficacy of one such law prohibiting the sale of tobacco to individuals under the age of 18 years was assessed with the cooperation of an 11-year-old girl. She was successful in 75 of 100 attempts to purchase cigarettes. On the basis of this experience and a review of existing laws, we have made recommendations for a model law. These include a prohibition of the possession of tobacco by minors, a prohibition of the sale of tobacco to minors, a requirement for a warning sign at the point of sale, a ban on cigarette vending machines, and a reward for individuals reporting violators of vending laws.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Who profits from tobacco sales to children?

It is estimated that more than 3 million American children under 18 years of age consume 947 million packs of cigarettes and 26 million containers of smokeless tobacco yearly. These tobacco products account for annual sales of $1.26 billion. Approximately 3% of tobacco industry profits ($221 million in 1988) derive directly from the sale of cigarettes to children, an activity that is illegal in 43 states. Approximately half of the tobacco industry's profits, or $3.35 billion annually, derives from sales to people who became addicted to nicotine as children. Tax revenues to the federal ($152 million) and state ($173 million) governments from cigarette sales to children dwarf governmental expenditures on smoking and health. We describe how dozens of communities have effectively enforced laws that prohibit the distribution of tobacco to children and offer some suggestions for increasing efforts to prevent nicotine addiction.

Adolescent↗