Adolescent smoking behaviour and cigarette brand preference in Japan

Abstract

Objectives:As part of efforts to develop a smoking control strategy for Japanese adolescents, the results of two nationwide surveys on adolescent smoking behaviour were compared.Design:Descriptive study on smoking behaviour among high school students was conducted. Self-reporting anonymous questionnaires were administered to 115 814 students in 1996 and 106 297 in 2000 through randomly sampled junior and senior high schools throughout Japan.Main outcome measures:Smoking prevalence, proportion of smokers by usual sources of cigarettes, national estimated cigarettes consumed by minors, share of cigarette brands smoked by high school students.Results:The experiment rate among junior high school boys decreased in 2000 compared with that in 1996, whereas current and daily smoking rates did not. Although prevalence among Japanese girls was much lower than that among boys, prevalence among girls increased in 2000. The main source of cigarettes among high school smokers was vending machines. The proportion of smokers who usually purchased cigarettes from vending machines increased in 2000, in spite of the 1998 introduction of restrictions on night-time operations. Japanese adolescents were more likely than adults to smoke American cigarette brands, and the adolescent market share of American brands has increased rapidly, especially for menthol brands.Conclusions:This survey revealed the seriousness of the problem of smoking behaviour among Japanese high school students, and suggested that this behaviour may be influenced by social environmental factors, including the marketing strategies of the tobacco industry. Action should be taken to reduce the prevalence and impact of pro-tobacco marketing messages and to abolish cigarette vending machines.

Decrease in the prevalence of smoking among Japanese adolescents and its possible causes: periodic nationwide cross-sectional surveys

“…The proportion of smokers who buy their cigarettes from vending machine is much higher than that in other countries [22]. Since the number of cigarette vending machines has not decreased [5], banning vending machine and enforcement of age confirmation in stores are important measures to prevent smoking by minors in Japan. This study also identified the possible efficacy of school regulations on smoking by teachers.…”

“…The monitoring of smoking prevalence among adolescents is thus an important means of clarifying the characteristics of this problem, establishing countermeasures, and evaluating public health efforts to reduce smoking prevalence. In the case of Japan, nationwide surveys on cigarette smoking among high school students conducted in 1996 and 2000 [3][4][5] revealed that many students had started smoking despite the various restrictions to prevent this established by the Act to Prohibit Minors from Smoking, enacted in 1900. To better understand trends in smoking prevalence, we conducted a third nationwide survey in 2004 and found a dramatic decrease in smoking prevalence among Japanese adolescents.…”

Tobacco brand preference among Mexican adolescents

“…Recent data from the US indicate that Marlboro remains the most preferred brand among middle and high school students, followed by Newport, and then Camel (6) . Shifts in brand preference from other industrialized nations reveal a similar trend, with Camel trailing Marlboro in market share (7) .…”

“…This research has important implications and challenges for tobacco prevention and control. Osaki et al (7) stresses that knowing what brands young smokers prefer provides clues to what encourages them to smoke and may suggest strategies to curtail initiation and maintenance of smoking, and perhaps improve cessation efforts. O ' Hegarty et al (6) explains that knowing this information and the advertising and marketing used to promote these brands provides specifi c information that can be incorporated into targeted mass media campaigns and other community initiatives to design tobacco counter-marketing campaigns and messages to reduce smoking.…”

Smoking rate trends of male 7th and 11th graders in Japan based on repeated, nationwide, cross-sectional surveys every 4 years from 1996 to 2008

“…Previous studies detailing the Japanese Youth Tobacco and Drinking Surveys have been reported [2,[11][12][13]. The cluster unit of the sampling was schools.…”