Smoker sensitivity to retail tobacco displays and quitting: a cohort study

ABSTRACTAims  To assess whether sensitivity to point of sale (POS) cigarette displays influences quitting behaviour.Design  Prospective cohort study.Setting  Victoria, Australia.Participants  A total of 222 adult smokers were surveyed at baseline in 2006 and followed‐up 18 months later.Measurements  Baseline sensitivity to POS displays, which included the frequency of ‘noticing displays’, ‘impulse purchasing behaviour’ and ‘deciding on brand based on POS displays’; smoking status at follow‐up.Findings  At follow‐up, 17.0% were no longer smokers. After adjusting for covariates, compared to those with low POS display sensitivity, smokers who had a medium or high level of sensitivity to POS displays were significantly less likely to have quit at follow‐up [odds ratio (OR) = 0.32, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.14–0.74; OR = 0.27, 95% CI = 0.08–0.91, respectively].Conclusions  The presence of cigarette pack displays in stores may make it more difficult for smokers to quit smoking successfully.