Key findings from the 2006 Scottish Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study

The HBSC study in Scotland is funded by NHS Health Scotland.Publisher PD

HBSC 2014 Survey in Scotland National Report

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Health behaviour in school-aged children : World Health Organization collaborative cross-national study (HBSC): findings from the 2010 HBSC survey in Scotland

The HBSC study in Scotland is funded by NHS Health ScotlandThe report, produced by CAHRU with funding support from NHS Health Scotland, provides a unique picture of the health of young people aged 11, 13 and 15 years in Scotland over the last two decades. Set against the social backdrop of family life, school experience, neighbourhood environment and peer relationships the report gives a comprehensive description of young people's health status. Please contact CAHRU (contact details) for further information about this research.Publisher PD

Are Retail Outlets Complying with National Legislation to Protect Children from Exposure to Tobacco Displays at Point of Sale? Results from the First Compliance Study in the UK

Background   From April 6th2015, all small shops in the UK were required to cover up tobacco products at point of sale (POS) to protect children from exposure. As part of a larger 5-year study to measure the impact of the legislation in Scotland, an audit was conducted to assess level and nature of compliance with the ban immediately following its introduction.  Materials and Methods   A discreet observational audit was conducted 7–14 days post implementation which took measures of physical changes made to cover products, server/assistant practices, tobacco signage and advertising, and communication of price information. The audit was conducted in all small retail outlets (n = 83) selling tobacco in four communities in Scotland selected to represent different levels of urbanisation and social deprivation. Data were analysed descriptively.  Results   Compliance with the legislation was high, with 98% of shops removing tobacco from permanent display and non-compliance was restricted almost entirely to minor contraventions. The refurbishment of shops with new or adapted tobacco storage units resulted in the removal of nearly all commercial brand messages and images from POS, dropping from 51% to 4%. The majority of shops stored their tobacco in public-facing storage units (81%). Most shops also displayed at least one generic tobacco message (88%).  Conclusions  Compliance with Scottish prohibitions on display of tobacco products in small retail outlets was high immediately after the legislation implementation date. However, although tobacco branding is no longer visible in retail outlets, tobacco storage units with generic tobacco messages are still prominent. This points towards a need to monitor how the space vacated by tobacco products is utilised and to better understand how the continuing presence of tobacco storage units influences people’s awareness and understanding of tobacco and smoking. Countries with existing POS bans and who are considering such bans should pay particular attention to regulations regarding the use of generic signage and where within the retail setting tobacco stocks can be stored

‘It looks like an adult sweetie shop’: point-of-sale tobacco display exposure and brand awareness in Scottish secondary school students.

Introduction: As further restrictions have been placed on tobacco advertising and promotions, point of sale (PoS) displays of cigarettes in shops have become an increasingly important source of young people’s exposure to tobacco products. This study explored the relationship between PoS displays of cigarettes and brand awareness among secondary school students in Scotland. Methods: Cross-sectional school surveys (n=1406) and focus groups (n=86) were conducted with S2 (13-14yrs) and S4 (15-16yrs) students in four schools of differing socioeconomic status in 2013, prior to the PoS display ban in large shops. Adjusted negative binomial regression analysis examined associations between brand awareness and exposure variables (visiting tobacco retailers, noticing displays of tobacco products). Results: Students visiting small shops more frequently (RRR 1.19, 95% CI 1.01-1.41) and those who noticed cigarette displays in small shops (RRR 1.24 95% CI 1.03-1.51) and large supermarkets (RRR 1.15 95% CI 1.01 -1.30) had higher brand awareness. The focus groups supported these findings. Participants described PoS tobacco displays as being eye-catching, colourful and potentially attractive to young people. Conclusions: This mixed-methods study showed that higher cigarette brand awareness was significantly associated with regularly visiting small shops and noticing PoS displays in small and large shops, even when students’ smoking status, smoking in their social networks, leisure activities and demographics were included as confounding variables. This highlights the importance of PoS displays of tobacco products in increasing brand awareness, which is known to increase youth smoking susceptibility, and thus the importance of implementing PoS display bans in all shops.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Does exposure to cigarette brands increase the likelihood of adolescent e-cigarette use? A cross-sectional study

Objective: To examine the relationship between tobacco cigarette brand recognition and e-cigarette use in adolescents. Design: Cross-sectional observational study Setting: High schools in Scotland Participants: Questionnaires were administered to pupils in Secondary 2 (S2 mean age: 14.0 years) and Secondary 4 (S4 mean age: 15.9 years) across 4 communities in Scotland. An 86% response rate with a total sample of 1404 pupils was achieved. Main outcome measures: Self-reported previous use of e-cigarettes and self-reported intention to try e-cigarettes in the next six months. Results: 75% (1029/1377) of respondents had heard of e-cigarettes (69.5% S2, 81.1% S4) and of these 17.3% (10.6% S2, 24.3% S4 n=1020) had ever tried an e-cigarette. 6.8% (3.7% S2, 10.0% S4 n=1019) reported that they intended to try an e-cigarette in the next 6 months. Recognition of more cigarette brands was associated with greater probability of previous e-cigarette use (OR 1.20 99% CI 1.05 to 1.38) as was having a best friend who smoked (OR 3.17 99% CI 1.42 to 7.09). Intention to try e-cigarettes was related to higher cigarette brand recognition (OR 1.41 99% CI 1.07 to 1.87), hanging around in the street or park more than once a week (OR 3.78 99% CI 1.93 to 7.39) and living in areas of high tobacco retail density (OR 1.20 99% CI 1.08 to 1.34). Never having smoked was a protective factor for both future intention to try and past e-cigarette use (OR 0.07 99% CI 0.02 to 0.25 and OR 0.10 99% CI 0.07 to 0.16 respectively) Conclusions: Higher cigarette brand recognition was associated with increased probability of previous use and of intention to use e-cigarettes. The impact of tobacco control measures such as restricting point of sale displays on the uptake of e-cigarettes in young people should be evaluated. Strengths and limitations E-cigarette use among young people is increasing and the nature and determinants of this process are of great interest to health professionals. This is the first study to look at environmental determinants of e-cigarette uptake in adolescents. The study has a high response rate (86%). Sample is not nationally representative but the logistic regression models have been adjusted to account for the demographic profile of participants.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Relationship between e-cigarette point of sale recall and e-cigarette use in secondary school children: a cross-sectional study

Background There has been a rapid increase in the retail availability of e-cigarettes in the UK and elsewhere. It is known that exposure to cigarette point-of-sale (POS) displays influences smoking behaviour and intentions in young people. However, there is as yet no evidence regarding the relationship between e-cigarette POS display exposure and e-cigarette use in young people. Methods This cross sectional study survey was conducted in four high schools in Scotland. A response rate of 87% and a total sample of 3808 was achieved. Analysis was by logistic regression on e-cigarette outcomes with standard errors adjusted for clustering within schools. The logistic regression models were adjusted for recall of other e-cigarette adverts, smoking status, and demographic variables. Multiple chained imputation was employed to assess the consistency of the findings across different methods of handling missing data. Results Adolescents who recalled seeing e-cigarettes in small shops were more likely to have tried an e-cigarette (OR 1.92 99% CI 1.61 to 2.29). Adolescents who recalled seeing e-cigarettes for sale in small shops (OR 1.80 99% CI 1.08 to 2.99) or supermarkets (OR 1.70 99% CI 1.22 to 2.36) were more likely to intend to try them in the next 6 months. Conclusions This study has found a cross-sectional association between self-reported recall of e-cigarette POS displays and use of, and intention to use, e-cigarettes. The magnitude of this association is comparable to that between tobacco point of sale recall and intention to use traditional cigarettes in the same sample. Further longitudinal data is required to confirm a causal relationship between e-cigarette point of sale exposure and future use in young people.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Attitudes towards condom use among young people

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Validating mental well-being items of the Scottish Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) Survey

This research was funded by NHS Health Scotland as a developmental part of the national HBSC study.Publisher PD