Targeting retailer knowledge and attitudes to reduce tobacco sales to minors: a multilingual campaign

Issue addressed: Easy youth access to tobacco is associated with more frequent youth smoking, yet Australians aged under 18 years can relatively easily purchase tobacco. This campaign aimed to reduce illegal selling by developing an educational program based on local retailers’ linguistic and information needs. Methods: A needs assessment of retailers identified factors to be addressed in a multilingual education campaign. Resources were developed in Arabic, Chinese, English, Greek and Vietnamese. Verbal information and resource distribution occurred with a sample of 96 retailers. A print media and radio campaign was conducted in the same languages. Changes in retailer knowledge, attitudes and behaviour were assessed at the completion of the campaign. Results: At campaign completion most retailers (83 per cent) were aware of the distributed resources, and 27 per cent recalled the print media campaign. Knowledge of the legal age increased significantly from 90 per cent to 100 per cent. Knowledge of the correct maximum fine also increased significantly from 59 per cent to 89 per cent. Retailers were not significantly more likely to request identification (ID), but were significantly less likely to rely on inaccurate methods of assessing age (36 per cent versus 17 per cent). Attitudes to youth smoking and the perceived danger of smoking did not change significantly. Retailers’ perceptions of the likelihood of getting reported for illegal selling increased significantly. Selling of tobacco to minors in Marrickville, after one purchase attempt, has fallen from 35 per cent to 15 per cent at completion of the project. Conclusion: The Marrickville Retailer Education Project resulted in positive increases in retailer knowledge, some attitudinal change, and a significant reduction in illegal selling of tobacco. So what? Many previous campaigns and materials have been in English. This project developed and tested materials in languages other than English, and demonstrated that high selling rates can be reduced, at least in the short term, with well-targeted multilingual campaigns. (author abstract)