Assessing attitudes towards tobacco advertising in winooski, VT

Introduction. Smoking rates are 15% in Vermont and higher in low-income populations. Winooski, Vermont is vulnerable to high tobacco use rates; 23.6% of Winooski residents are low income. Tobacco advertising, which has been shown to have a direct, dose-dependent association with youth tobacco use, is highly prevalent in Winooski stores. Methods. In partnership with the Winooski Coalition for a Safe and Peaceful Community (WCSPC), College of Medicine students developed a survey to assess opinions of adult community members towards tobacco advertising and youth tobacco use in Winooski, VT. We administered the survey in three different settings: 1) sent home with students of the Winooski school district, 2) in-person at the parent-teacher conference day at the Winooski school district, and 3) in-person at the Winooski Community Health Fair. Results. 92 of 97 completed surveys were analyzed. Most respondents believe that tobacco advertising should not be allowed inside stores (66%) or outside stores (83%), youth smoking/tobacco use is a problem in Winooski (59%), store owners should show fewer advertisements in their stores (62%), and youth are influenced by tobacco advertising in stores (59%). Additionally, most respondents believe that tobacco products should not be sold in grocery stores (66%) or pharmacies (73%). Discussion. The majority of respondents believe youth smoking and tobacco use in Winooski is a problem and that store owners should decrease or eliminate tobacco advertising. Demonstration of community support for reduced tobacco advertising will be instrumental for achieving the goals of the statewide public health Small Changes, Big Impact initiative.