Behavioral Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Department of Health Behavior, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Nicotine Tob Res. 2022 Mar 1;24(4):612-616. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntab204.
The sale of tobacco products within American pharmacies has generated controversy for several decades, leading two U.S. states and 45 municipalities to adopt tobacco-free pharmacy policies. While previous research has reported cheaper cigarette prices in pharmacies, compared to other retailers, little is known about cigarette promotions in pharmacies, which are associated with increased youth smoking and unplanned cigarette purchases among adults.
Between May and August 2015, trained data collectors conducted store audits at 2128 tobacco retailers located within 97 U.S. counties in 40 states. Observations were made for three types of cigarette promotions: special price (e.g., $0.30 off/pack), multi-pack promotions (e.g., buy one pack, get one free), and cross-product promotions (e.g., buy a pack of cigarettes and a get free can of snus). We calculated weighted estimates of the proportion of pharmacies and other retailer types with cigarette promotions and used weighted multivariable logistic regression to compare cigarette promotions by tobacco retailer type, accounting for clustering at the county level and controlling for county-level demographic characteristics.
Cigarette promotions were observed in 94.0% of pharmacies, more than any other retailer type (e.g., convenience stores: 82.0%, tobacco stores: 77.0%). All retailer types had lower odds of promotions for Marlboro, Newport, Camel, menthol, or any interior cigarette promotion, compared to pharmacies.
Nearly all pharmacies offered in-store cigarette promotions and pharmacies had greater odds of offering cigarette promotions than all other retailer types. Whether voluntarily or legislatively, tobacco-free pharmacies would eliminate a prevalent retail source of cigarette promotions.
This is the first known national study to examine prevalence of cigarette promotions in U.S. pharmacies compared to other retailer types. Nearly all pharmacies offered in-store cigarette promotions and pharmacies had greater odds of offering cigarette promotions than all other retailer types. These findings underscore the inherent contradiction of pharmacies serving both as an important component of the health care system, but also as purveyors and promotors of addictive and lethal tobacco products. Whether voluntarily or legislatively, tobacco-free pharmacy policies would eliminate a prevalent retail source of cigarette promotions.
几十年来，美国药店销售烟草制品一直存在争议，导致两个美国州和 45 个城市通过了无烟草药店政策。虽然之前的研究报告称，与其他零售商相比，药店的香烟价格更便宜，但对于药店的香烟促销活动却知之甚少，这些促销活动与青少年吸烟和成年人非计划购买香烟有关。
2015 年 5 月至 8 月期间，经过培训的数据收集员在美国 40 个州的 97 个县内的 2128 家烟草零售商处进行了商店审计。观察了三种类型的香烟促销活动：特价（例如，每包便宜 0.30 美元）、多包促销（例如，买一包，送一包）和交叉产品促销（例如，买一包香烟，送一罐鼻烟）。我们计算了药店和其他零售商类型的香烟促销活动的加权比例，并使用加权多变量逻辑回归比较了不同烟草零售商类型的香烟促销活动，同时考虑了县一级的聚类，并控制了县一级的人口特征。
94.0%的药店都有香烟促销活动，比任何其他零售商类型（例如便利店：82.0%，烟草店：77.0%）都多。与药店相比，所有零售商类型的万宝路、新港、骆驼、薄荷醇或任何内部香烟促销活动的促销可能性都较低。
几乎所有的药店都提供店内香烟促销活动，而且与其他零售商类型相比，药店提供香烟促销活动的可能性更大。无论是自愿还是立法，无烟草药店政策将消除一个普遍存在的香烟促销零售来源。
这是首次已知的全国性研究，比较了美国药店与其他零售商类型的香烟促销活动的流行率。几乎所有的药店都提供店内香烟促销活动，而且与其他零售商类型相比，药店提供香烟促销活动的可能性更大。这些发现强调了药店既是医疗保健系统的重要组成部分，同时也是上瘾和致命烟草产品的销售者和推广者，这两者之间存在内在矛盾。无论是自愿还是立法，无烟草药店政策将消除一个普遍存在的香烟促销零售来源。
