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The
Youth Purchase Survey was conducted during the months of April and May of
1999. The survey included a random sample of 155 establishments in Stanislaus
County which were known (or believed) to sell tobacco products. In order
to ensure representation of the various communities within Stanislaus County,
the stores were then stratified by city/town. Following the stratification,
a proportionate sample of stores from each city was selected. For instance,
the city of Modesto had the greatest number of stores in the sampling frame
and thus had the highest number of stores in the final sample.
The general purpose of the survey was to develop a baseline rate of tobacco
sales to youth within Stanislaus County. The protocol for the study called
for an underage youth (ages 14-17) to attempt to purchase a tobacco product
from a randomly selected store. For the purposes of the study, a "purchase"
or "sale" was made once the clerk "rang up" the merchandise
and asked for the amount due. The youth was instructed not to pay for
the tobacco product, but rather to indicate that she/he did not have enough
money. At no time during the study did the participants (youth) leave
the store with the tobacco product. Each youth purchaser was also accompanied
to the store by an adult chaperone. The adult entered the store behind
the youth, attempted to distance him/herself from the teen, witnessed
the transaction, and was ultimately responsible for the documentation
of pertinent information regarding the purchase attempt.
Results
The 155 stores involved in the study were located in 16 different towns/cities
throughout the Country.
| City/Town |
Stores
Observed |
City/Town |
Stores
Observed |
| 1) Ceres |
10 |
9) Newman |
7 |
| 2) Crows Landing |
1 |
10) Oakdale |
17 |
| 3) Denair |
5 |
11) Patterson |
6 |
| 4) Empire |
4 |
12) Riverbank |
10 |
| 5) Hickman |
2 |
13) Salida |
4 |
| 6) Hughson |
6 |
14) Turlock |
18 |
| 7) Keyes |
2 |
15) Waterford |
4 |
| 8) Modesto |
54 |
16) Wesley |
5 |
The youth purchasers ranged in age from 14 to 17, with an average age of
15.88 years. Slightly more males (55%) than females (45%) served as youth
purchasers.
Of the 155 tobacco purchase attempts, a "sale" of a tobacco
product occurred 19 times, for an overall purchase rate of just over 12%.
With regard to the type of tobacco product sold to the youth, 15 of the
19 sales involved cigarettes, 3 youth "successfully" purchased
spit tobacco, and 1 youth "purchased a cigar. Spit tobacco had the
highest purchase rate (23%) in the sense that in 1 attempts, a sale was
made 3 times.
| Tobacco
Product |
#
of Attempted Purchases |
#
of Successful Purchases |
Purchase
Rate |
| Cigarettes |
125 |
15 |
12% |
| Spit Tobacco |
13 |
3 |
23% |
| Cigars |
16 |
1 |
6% |
In 9 of the 16 cities/towns from which the stores comprising the sample
were located, a "successful" purchase of a tobacco product was
made by an underage youth. The city of Salida had the highest purchase rate
(75%). That is, in the three out of four stores located in Salida, a sale
was "made" to the youth purchaser. There were a total of 7 cities/towns
in which all attempted purchases of tobacco products were denied: Crows
Landing, Denair, Hickman, Hughson, Keyes, Waterford, and Westley.
| Location/City |
Stores
Observed |
Successful
Purchases |
Purchase
Rate |
| Ceres |
10 |
1 |
10% |
| Crows Landing |
1 |
0 |
0% |
| Denair |
5 |
0 |
0% |
| Empire |
4 |
1 |
25% |
| Hickman |
2 |
0 |
0% |
| Hughson |
6 |
0 |
0% |
| Keyes |
2 |
0 |
0% |
| Modesto |
54 |
7 |
13% |
| Newman |
7 |
1 |
14% |
| Oakdale |
17 |
1 |
6% |
| Patterson |
6 |
1 |
17% |
| Riverbank |
10 |
2 |
20% |
| Salida |
4 |
3 |
75% |
| Turlock |
18 |
2 |
11% |
| Waterford |
4 |
0 |
0% |
| Westley |
5 |
0 |
0% |
Factors Associated with Tobacco Purchases
The stores which were randomly selected for participation in the study
were classified based on the type of outlet, such as: gas station, convenience
stores, market, supermarket, drug store/pharmacy, liquor store, tobacco
store. Nineteen (19) stores which "sold" tobacco products to
underage youth, 42% were classified as markets.
Convenience stores comprised the highest number of stores in the sample,
they had the second lowest purchase rate (4.7%). Furthermore, no tobacco
products were sold to youth at the 12 stores classified as gas stations.
| Type
of Outlet |
#
in Sample |
#
of Successful Purchases |
Purchase
Rate |
Convenience Stores |
42 |
2 |
4.7% |
Markets |
40 |
8 |
20% |
Liquor Stores |
19 |
2 |
10.5% |
Supermarkets |
17 |
2 |
11.7% |
Gas Stations |
12 |
0 |
0% |
Drug Stores |
9 |
1 |
11.1% |
Other |
9 |
3 |
33.3% |
Tobacco Store |
6 |
1 |
16.6% |
Missing Data |
1 |
0 |
0% |
Overall, male youth tended to have somewhat greater "success"
in purchasing tobacco products than female youth. That is, while males comprised
55% of the sample, males made 63% of the successful purchases. Conversely,
while female youth comprised 45% of the sample, they constituted only 37%
of the total successful purchases. In addition, older youth tended to have
a slightly easier time purchasing tobacco products than their younger counterparts.
That is, of the 19 illegal tobacco sales, none was made to a 14 year old,
while the highest percentage (47%) was made to 17 year olds. Interestingly,
in 6 out of the 19 "successful" purchases, the clerk asked the
underage youth for identification, and without the youth's possessing proper
identification, sold the product anyway.
While no differences were observed in the sale of tobacco products based
on the gender of the clerk, differences were observed based on the age
of the clerk. Younger clerks (25 and under) tended to have a higher sales
rate than older clerks (over 25). While clerks classified as under the
age of 25 comprised only 38% of the total sample, they were involved in
more than half (55.6%) of the 19 illegal sales.
Conclusion
The tobacco purchase attempts by underage youth in 155 stores in Stanislaus
County resulted in a sales rate of 12%. In addition, the findings indicate
that "markets" are the type of outlet where sales to underage
youth are most likely to occur. Younger clerks appear to be more likely
to sell tobacco products to youth than older clerks, males were more likely
to "successfully" purchase tobacco, and older youth (16 and
17 year olds) had an easier time getting tobacco products than the 14
and15 year olds. Interestingly, in 6 out of the 19 "successful"
purchases the youth were asked for identification, and even though the
youth were underage, the "sale" still occurred.
Stanislaus County Health Services Agency
Health Education
Tobacco Education Program
The Stanislaus County Health Services Agency Tobacco Education Program
is one of 61 Local Lead Agencies/Counties funded to reduce death and disease
caused by tobacco use in California. To this end, the program strives
to reduce smoking prevalence by reducing smoking uptake in nonsmokers
and by increasing quitting in smokers. Secondly, the program works to
protect nonsmokers by reducing exposure to environmental tobacco smoke
at home, at school, at work and in public places. This program has been
funded since 1989 though the Department of Health Services Tobacco Control
Section with Proposition 99 funds. The Tobacco Education Program focuses
its efforts on the following three priority areas: reducing exposure to
environmental tobacco smoke, countering pro-tobacco in the community,
and reducing youth access and availability of tobacco through commercial
and social sources.
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