Description

Multicomponent community interventions have evidence for effectiveness in reducing youth tobacco use. They can be extended to also target vaping. With respect to tobacco, they have typically included community mobilisation, brief messaging, media coverage of youth harms, merchant education and compliance checks. Community compliance checks involve a young person that appears to be under the legal age seeking to purchase tobacco products (or vapes) from retailers. Where initial compliance checks show high rates of sales to young people, state authorities can be contacted to join compliance checks. Retailers that comply with current legislation by refusing to sell receive a letter advising of the monitoring program and its outcome. Retailers that fail to comply can receive a warning letter or penalty. In general, penalties are increased for second and subsequent offences.

Evaluation Evidence

The Washington State Institute for Public Policy estimate this program returns $5.83 for each dollar invested (https://www.wsipp.wa.gov/BenefitCost/Program/658). A Cochrane Review of interventions to reduce tobacco sales to minors found evidence to support compliance checks and enforcement of legislation as effective strategies for restricting tobacco access for minors (Stead & Lancaster, 2005). A Sydney study which sent retailers a warning letter threatening prosecution if they failed to comply with legislation resulted in a second offence rate of 31% compared to 60% amongst retailers who had not been warned.

Monitoring Recommendations

Variations of this strategy currently operate in each state, coordinated through the state health departments. Communities That Care Boards that have evidence that tobacco or vapes are being sold to minors can apply to work with their relevant state authorities to implement community strategies including underage sales monitoring.

Contact: 

For advice on organising a workshop covering community mobilisation, brief messaging, media coverage of youth harms, merchant education and compliance checks:

Dr Bosco Rowland

CEO, Communities That Care Ltd

 bosco.rowland@monash.edu.au