Operation storefront Hawaii: tobacco advertising and promotion in Hawaii stores.

Our objective was to explore the nature and location of tobacco product advertising and promotion in retail stores in Hawaii. We performed a cross-sectional study of tobacco product store-based advertisements, including the number, location (indoor/outdoor; proximity to candy, toys, school), size, and brand of the ads. Trained youth (ages 12-19 years) collected data on 3,151 advertisements and promotions among 184 stores. We found that most ads appeared indoors, and the most heavily advertised brand was Kool. Kool is also the most heavily smoked brand among youth in Hawaii. This study underscores the high visibility of retail store advertising and promotions (both indoor and outdoor) in places that attract the attention of youth.