Retail Point-of-Sale Guardianship and Juvenile Tobacco Purchases: Assessing the Prevention Capabilities of Undergraduate College Students

• NCJ Number: 219336
• Journal: Journal of Drug Education Volume: 37 Issue: 1 Dated: 2007 Pages: 1-30
• Author(s): Troy Gilbertson Ph.D.
• Date Published: 2007
• Length: 30 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study assessed the impact of receiving a combination of 3 pieces of information on undergraduate college students' (n=458) attitudes and behavioral intentions regarding intervening to prevent a minor from illegally making a retail purchase of tobacco products.

Abstract

The study found that empirical information about the health consequences of youth tobacco use, when considered alone, did not affect the college students' willingness nor intent to intervene when casually observing an underage youth illegally making a retail purchase of a tobacco product. Also, empirical information about the costs associated with youth tobacco use, when considered alone, did not affect willingness and intent to intervene. Information about a contextual condition of being under a tight time schedule and being in a hurry to leave the retail store, when considered alone, did not affect levels of intervention one way or the other. The study shows that objective empirical information about the health damage and health costs associated with tobacco use did not improve the likelihood that undergraduate college students would intervene to attempt to prevent an underage youth from purchasing cigarettes should they observe this occurring in a retail store. Although the issue of health and cost may concern them, they are not willing to take the time or make the effort to prevent a youth from illegally purchasing a tobacco product. Apparently, public enforcement agencies cannot count on educated and informed citizens to act as informal guardians in enforcing tobacco laws. In placing the college students in the scenarios where they were exposed to combinations of the three pieces of information, it was assumed that the participants noticed the illegal tobacco purchase, that they knew or could reasonably guess the age of the youth, and that they were familiar with the legal prohibition on youths' access to tobacco products. 9 tables, 3 figures, and 13 references