Posted: September 14, 2021
Tobacco (smoking) retail displays are banned in many countries, including in England. Following a ban, tobacco products are often stored within covered units, although typically the units are visible and positioned below tobacco signage. These bans are put in place because tobacco retail displays are linked to increased smoking among adults, and greater susceptibility to smoking among young people, leading to poorer health.
There is no equivalent ban on displays of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) or smoking paraphernalia (products such as cigarette lighters) in England, which are often positioned alongside covered tobacco storage units.
Previous research has suggested that displays of smoking paraphernalia in retail stores are also linked to increased smoking, and greater susceptibility to smoking, in adults and children. There is currently an absence of evidence on whether e-cigarette retail displays are linked to increased smoking and / or e-cigarette use.
At present, the extent of this potential problem is unknown because the visibility (size, position, attractiveness, etc.) of smoking paraphernalia and e-cigarette retail displays has not been described in detail.
The aim of our study was therefore to describe the visibility of smoking paraphernalia and e-cigarette displays in stores in England. We did this by visiting all of the top four large supermarket chains, and a randomly selected sample of convenience stores, in two cities in England (Bristol and Cambridge). We recorded how visible (how large, where it was positioned, how noticeable, etc.) each store’s smoking paraphernalia and e-cigarette displays were.
We also aimed to see if this visibility of smoking paraphernalia and e-cigarette displays was higher in more compared to less deprived areas.
Our study found that e-cigarette and smoking paraphernalia displays are highly visible in retailers in Bristol and Cambridge. Furthermore, the smoking paraphernalia and e-cigarette displays were highly visible everywhere and did not differ by area of deprivation.
Brocklebank LA, Blackwell AKM, Marteau TM, et alElectronic cigarette and smoking paraphernalia point of sale displays: an observational study in England Tobacco Control Published Online First: 13 September 2021. doi: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2020-056314
