Support for display ban

A new study from the University of Stirling in the United Kingdom has found that a ban on displaying cigarettes and tobacco at shop counters has reduced the risk of young people taking up smoking, according to a BBC report.

Tobacco products have been hidden from point-of-sale displays across the U.K. for more than four years.

The researchers said their study showed the ban helps safeguard young people. “Our findings help to justify this policy approach in the U.K. and elsewhere,” said lead author Allison Ford.

The study included the following findings:

• The “smoking susceptibility” of children who had never smoked decreased from 28 percent pre-ban to 18 percent post-ban
• A total of 81 percent of those interviewed noticed cigarettes at point-of-sale before the law came into force, compared to 28 percent afterwards
• The average number of cigarette brands recalled by the children declined from 0.97 to 0.69
• After the ban was fully implemented, 90 percent of those who have never smoked supported the display ban
• It made cigarettes seem unappealing, according to 77 percent of those interviewed
• 87 percent said it made smoking seem unacceptable

Ford’s team interviewed 3,791 young people aged 11 to 16 years, including 2,953 who had never smoked, before, during and after the law was introduced.