Should the Legal Age for Tobacco Be Raised? Results From a National Sample of Adolescents

Prev Chronic Dis. 2017 Nov 16:14:E112. doi: 10.5888/pcd14.170255.

Abstract

Raising the minimum age of legal access to tobacco products may reduce smoking initiation and save lives. In a national telephone survey (2014-2015), US adolescents aged 13 to 17 years (N = 1,125; response rate, 66%) were asked about raising the age of legal access to tobacco products and randomized to hear one of 3 ages (19, 20, or 21 y). Most adolescents, across all US regions, favored raising the minimum age of legal access to 19 (75.7%), 20 (80.6%), or 21 (76.4%). These supportive attitudes may be useful to tobacco prevention and control practitioners who seek to reduce tobacco use among adolescents.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Smoking / legislation & jurisprudence*
  • Smoking Prevention / legislation & jurisprudence*
  • Smoking Prevention / methods
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Tobacco Products / legislation & jurisprudence*