| A preliminary state-by-state analysis
indicates that state tobacco policies may result in lower teen smoking
rates, according to a Sept. 28 press release from the Center
for the Advancement of Health.
Researchers from the Saint Louis University School of Public Health found that states with more extensive tobacco-control policies, such as New York, Connecticut, California, and Rhode Island, had significantly lower youth smoking rates than states with fewer such policies, such as South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Kentucky. "To our knowledge this is the first time that a relationship has been empirically demonstrated between implemented state tobacco control policies and teen smoking," said lead author Douglas A. Luke, PhD. As part of their analysis, researchers compared two sets of data: the National Cancer Institute's 1996 State Cancer Legislative Database, a measure of state cancer-related legislation, and the results of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Youth Smoking Behavior Survey. State legislation that helped reduce teen smoking rates included the enforcement of smoking age restrictions, photo ID requirements for cigarette purchases, and incrementally severe penalties for stores caught selling cigarettes to minors. The study is published in the October 2000 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. |