Objectives: This study compared the impact of educational and enforcement interventions on retailers' sale of tobacco to minors in Central Harlem, New York.
Methods: In a randomized trial with repeated measures, 152 stores were randomly divided into control, education, and enforcement groups.
Results: Overall tobacco sales to 12- and 13-year-old minors at baseline (98%) were among the highest in the nation. At 6-month and 1-year follow-ups, decreases in rates of tobacco sales to minors were modest among education stores and substantial among enforcement stores.
Conclusions: Effective reduction of tobacco sales to minors may require ongoing enforcement measures, including fines for retailers who violate state and local laws.