Removing Tobacco Price Discounts from the Retail Point-of-Sale Exterior Reduces Young Adults’ Future Cigarette Smoking Susceptibility: an Experimental Investigation

INTRODUCTION: Prohibiting display of price promotions (e.g., coupons, discounts, two-for-one deals) at retail point-of-sale (POS) may reduce cigarette smoking risk, particularly among price-sensitive groups like young adults, but evidence supporting this type of regulatory action is non-existent. The present study experimentally tested the impact of removing price discounts from a retail POS setting on young adults' susceptibility to smoke cigarettes. METHODS: Young adults (n = 289) ages 18-20 were randomly assigned to complete a shopping task in a life-sized model convenience store laboratory, under one of the following experimental conditions: 1) price discounts absent (i.e., no visible price discount information displayed on exterior signage appearing on the entrance door to the store); and 2) a control condition with discount information present on exterior signage, as usual. Participants completed separate measures of future intentions to smoke cigarettes before and after shopping. Multivariable logistic regression assessed the effect of condition on likelihood of future smoking susceptibility (1 = any susceptibility; 0 = no susceptibility) to smoke cigarettes. The model controlled for baseline (pre-shopping) cigarette smoking susceptibility, cigarette and other tobacco use history, and demographic characteristics (age, sex, race, socioeconomic status). RESULTS: There was a main effect of study condition such that exposure to the price discounts absent condition (vs. control) reduced young adults' susceptibility to smoke cigarettes (aOR = 0.48, 95% CI 0.23 - 1.00, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Consistent with recommendations for comprehensive tobacco control programs, findings from this experiment suggest that policies prohibiting displays of price discounts at retail settings may help to reduce cigarette smoking intentions in young people.