Background: The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (FSPTCA) of 2009 provided new opportunities to regulate tobacco products at the point-of-sale (POS). Little is known about retailer, public and smoker support for 10 FSPTCA POS policies in five domains (1) minors' access to tobacco, (2) regulating promotion, (3) product bans (menthol, flavored cigarettes), (4) advertising restrictions, and (5) labeling changes (graphic warnings). Study 1: This study conducted a survey of 257 tobacco retailers in three counties in North Carolina and linked their opinions about tobacco control policies with audit data of their stores' compliance with POS policies. Through structural equation modeling and generalized estimating equations, I found that store noncompliance with tobacco control policies was associated both with more retailer barriers to compliance and less support for POS policies. Awareness and Source of information about tobacco control regulations was not associated with compliance. Study 2: This study surveyed a US nationally representative sample of 17,507 respondents using linear regression to calculate weighted point estimates and identify factors associated with support for POS policies among adult respondents and smokers. For smokers we also examine the interaction of individual characteristics and policy self-interest on support for specific POS policies. Overall, non-smokers had more support than smokers. African-Americans, Hispanics, and those of other races, had more support than Whites. Education level and income were generally unrelated to level of support. Among smokers, those patterns also held. Policy support varied by provision with the highest support for minor's access restrictions (over 80%) and the lowest for advertising restrictions like black and white text advertising (23%). Among smokers, policy self-interest moderated the relationship between intention to quit and support for graphic warnings. Other self-interest variables had a direct effect on policy support. Conclusions: This dissertation study provides new information on retailer support and compliance and public support for policies that are or could be implemented under the Tobacco Control Act at POS. Tobacco control advocates and the FDA can build on existing levels of public support to promote, enforce, and maintain controversial policy changes in the retail environment.Doctor of Philosoph
