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Correlates of Illegal Tobacco Sales to Minors in Texas

Correlates of Illegal Tobacco Sales to Minors in Texas. Liang Y. Liu, Ph.D. Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Texas Department of State Health Services liang.liu@dshs.state.tx.us Presented at. Abstract Submitted to NCTOH.

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Correlates of Illegal Tobacco Sales to Minors in Texas

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  1. Correlates of Illegal Tobacco Sales to Minors in Texas Liang Y. Liu, Ph.D. Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Texas Department of State Health Services liang.liu@dshs.state.tx.us Presented at

  2. Abstract Submitted to NCTOH • Problem/Objective: This study examines the patterns and correlates of illegal tobacco sales to minors in Texas and addresses the adequacy of state-conducted retailer inspection survey used to gather this information. The survey conducted ensures compliance with the Synar Regulation. • Methods: Data from the 2004 Texas Synar Survey using a stratified two-stage cluster sampling of statewide licensed tobacco retailers were evaluated. Non-zero probability selection was assured at each sampling stage. Sixty-five minor decoys (aged 14 to 17) under supervision of adult escort completed 971 on-site inspections in 19 dispersed areas. Survey variables include the inspection time/date, minor, clerk, and store characteristics. • Results: The 2004 retailer noncompliance rate in Texas was 15.5% (s.e.=1.3%). Clerks requested identification in 81% of purchase attempts. When they did not ask for identification, minors completed 43 times more sales (73.5% vs. 1.7%, p<0.0001). 79% of stores posted warning signs about underage purchase of tobacco, and stores without signs were more likely to sell tobacco to minors (24.4% vs. 13.3%, p<0.0001). Odds of sales were significantly higher for males, 16-17 year olds, clerks perceived younger than 25, and convenience stores versus others. We see no variation of violation rates by clerks’ gender and inspection time. Further logistic regression revealed that the strongest predictors of illegal sales to minors were clerks’ failure to request identification or age. • Conclusion: The findings help identify merchant compliance problems and indicate the laws prohibiting illegal tobacco sales to minors should be imposed on getting all merchants to request identification before all sales. 2004 Texas Synar Survey

  3. What is Synar Regulation Synar Amendment July 1992 • States required to enact and enforce laws prohibiting sale or distribution of tobacco products to minors • Goal to reduce the number of successful illegal purchases by minors to 20% in each state within a negotiated time period • States required to conduct random, unannounced inspections to assess compliance with the law • States required to submit an annual report to Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) • Noncompliant States lose a percentage of its federal block grant funds for substance abuse treatment and prevention 2004 Texas Synar Survey

  4. Texas Synar System Overview • Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts • Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) • Community of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Section (responsible for conducting statewide Synar survey and submitting the annual report) • Office of Tobacco Prevention and Control • Texas State University • Center for Safe Communities and Schools (CSCS) • Texas Statewide Tobacco Education and Prevention (STEP) 2004 Texas Synar Survey

  5. Texas Synar Tobacco Outlet Inspection Survey • Using minors (ages 14-17) to conduct inspections of tobacco outlets within survey areas. Recruitment and selection of minors are demographically matched for the area being inspected • Training and technical assistance for local law enforcement and community members are provided • Inspection timeline is June-July of each year • Required information for Synar survey: • Data and time of inspection • Location of outlet • Age/gender of minor used • Status of inspection • Attempted purchase outcome • Weights are used for the retailer violation rate estimates to reflect the statewide outlet populations 2004 Texas Synar Survey

  6. Sampling Frame • A list sampling frame of OTC tobacco outlets is used for Texas Synar survey • Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts provides statewide database of licensed tobacco retailers • License renewed every two years (even year) • List includes information of outlet TaxID, permit number, name of outlet, address (street, city, and zip code), county name, and adult-bar (yes/no) • Overall, 92% of the 2004 sampling frame was accurate in terms of actually selling tobacco products and/or accurate address 2004 Texas Synar Survey

  7. Sampling Methodology • About 23,220 tobacco outlets across 254 counties in Texas are eligible for sampling • Rationale of sampling: • Non-zero probability of selection to all outlets in the state • Spread the sample out both literally by geography and by demographic status • Use stratification and other efficiency measures to minimize any major increase in complexity and cost • A stratified two-stage cluster sampling design is developed • Stage I: selection of counties or Primary Sampling Units (PSUs) • Stage II: selection of outlets within each selected county 2004 Texas Synar Survey

  8. Sampling Methodology (Continued) • PSUs are stratified according to the number of tobacco outlets by county. A total of ten strata are formed: • A1-A7: counties with > 500 outlets (self-representing) • B: counties with 100-500 outlets • C: counties with 26-99 outlets • D: counties with < 26 outlets • Select 6 counties in stratum B, 4 counties in stratum C, and 2 counties in stratum D by systematic or PPS sampling • Sample allocation across strata is based on proportional allocation method • SRS is used to select outlets from each selected county. Except for stratum D (all outlets are taken), the sample design is an “equal probability of selection for each element” design not only within each stratum but also across strata 2004 Texas Synar Survey

  9. Location of 19 Sampled Counties Texas: 254 counties/PSU clusters 2004 Texas Synar Survey

  10. Survey Inspection Results: Tobacco Retailer Violation Rate 2004 Texas Synar Survey

  11. Sample Ineligibility and Noncompletion 2004 Texas Synar Survey

  12. Inspection Results by Youth Inspector Characteristics 2004 Texas Synar Survey

  13. Composition of Successful Buys (147) 2004 Texas Synar Survey

  14. Retailer Violation Rate by Sampling Stratum Statewide Rate: 15.5% 2004 Texas Synar Survey

  15. Retailer Violation Rate by Compliance and Demographic Variable Yes No Yes No Yes No 14-15 16-17 Males Females <=24 >=25 Salesclerk Asked for Age Salesclerk Asked for ID Warning Signs Posted Minor’s Age Minor’s Gender Salesclerk’s Age 2004 Texas Synar Survey

  16. Crude Odds Ratios (OR) of Retailer Violation Rate by Variable 2004 Texas Synar Survey

  17. Impacts on Successful Buys: A Logistic Regression Analysis 2004 Texas Synar Survey

  18. Conclusion and Recommendation • The 2004 retailer noncompliance rate in Texas was 15.5%. Clerks requested ID in 81% of purchase attempts, and 79% of stores posted warning signs about underage purchase of tobacco • Survey findings showed that the strongest predictors of illegal sales to minors were clerk’s failure to request ID or age • Laws prohibiting illegal tobacco sales to minors should be imposed on getting all merchants to request ID before all sales 2004 Texas Synar Survey

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