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Accessibility of Tobacco Products to
Youths Aged 12-17 Years - United States, 1989 and 1993
The February 16, 1996, issue of the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention's (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
contains the article, "Accessibility of Tobacco Products to Youths Aged 12-17
Years-United States, 1989 and 1993." This report summarizes findings from the 1989
and 1993 Teenage Attitudes and Practices surveys (TAPS I and TAPS II). The study found
that the percentage of underage minors who reported buying their own cigarettes actually
increased between 1989 and 1993 — from 58% to 62%.
The study also found the following:
- In 1993, 45% of minors who ever tried to purchase cigarettes and 57% of
minors who ever tried to purchase smokeless tobacco reported that they were never asked to
show proof of age.
- In 1993, for those minors aged 12-17 years who usually purchased their own
tobacco products, 89% of cigarette smokers and 82% of smokeless tobacco users reported
that they often or sometimes bought their tobacco products from small stores.
- Between 1989 and 1993, the percentage of youths aged 12-17 years who
purchased cigarettes from large stores decreased by 12.8% but the percentage who purchased
them from small stores increased by 3.9%.
- Smokers aged 12-15 years were more likely to purchase cigarettes from vending
machines (20% in 1989, 18% in 1993) than smokers aged 16-17 years (12% in 1989, 10% in
1993).
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