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Tobacco Control 2001;10:360-363; doi:10.1136/tc.10.4.360
Copyright © 2001 by the BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.
Tob Control 2001;10:360-363 ( Winter )

Brief report

Are adolescents attempting to buy cigarettes on the internet? Jennifer B Ungera, Louise Ann Rohrbacha, Kurt M Ribislb

a Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research, University of Southern California School of Medicine, California, USA, b Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Centre, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA

Correspondence to: Jennifer Unger PhD, USC Institute for Prevention Research, 1000 S Fremont Avenue, Box 8, Room 5127, Alhambra, CA 91803, USA unger{at}hsc.usc.edu.

Received 10 May 2001; Revision received 17 July 2001; Accepted 27 July 2001

OBJECTIVE--- To assess the prevalence of, and demographic and smoking behaviour correlates of, attempting to purchase cigarettes via the internet among adolescent current smokers.
METHODS--- A representative sample of 17 181 10th and 12th grade California students completed a written questionnaire on tobacco related attitudes and behaviour during the 1999-2000 school year. Logistic regression analyses were used to determine the variables associated with attempting to purchase cigarettes on the internet.
RESULTS---Among youth under 18 years of age who were current smokers (n = 1689), 2.2% (95% confidence interval 1.5% to 2.9%) reported attempting to purchase cigarettes on the internet. Attempted internet purchases were more likely among younger respondents, males, frequent smokers, and respondents reporting lower perceived availability of tobacco products from retail and social sources.
CONCLUSIONS---Few adolescent smokers in California surveyed during the 1999-2000 school year had attempted to obtain cigarettes from the internet. As internet access increases, future studies should examine whether internet cigarette vendors sell to minors and whether adolescents are purchasing cigarettes on the internet.


Keywords: internet cigarette vendors; adolescent smokers; purchasing

© 2001 by Tobacco Control
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