ResearchProjects

There is a considerable body of empirical evidence suggesting that point-of-sale tobacco marketing influences tobacco users’ product preferences as well as decisions to initiate or refrain from use. Yet little is known about the mechanisms that underlie the association between point-of-sale marketing and behavior, because methods that directly link individual use outcomes to real-world point-of-sale exposure are only now beginning to be developed. The project provides data to directly address this critical knowledge gap. Participants were current cigarette smokers who were not interested in quitting. The study documented real-time exposure to tobacco marketing via continuous mobile phone geolocation tracking. In addition, quarterly assessments with the participants assessed tobacco- and in some cases marijuana-use patterns. The project represents a powerful new approach to understanding the way point-of-sale tobacco marketing tactics affect tobacco use patterns.