Association between exposure to different sources of advertising and the use of conventional cigarettes in Peruvian adolescents, 2019

Introduction: The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between exposure to different sources of tobacco advertising and the consumption of conventional cigarettes in Peruvian adolescents. Methods: This was a cross-sectional analytical study of secondary data from the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) 2019 in Peru. The population consisted of adolescents aged 13-15 years. Generalized Linear Poisson family models were used to estimate prevalence ratios with their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI), which measured the strength of the association between exposure to advertising sources and conventional cigarette consumption. Results: Data from 2083 adolescents who provided information on exposure to television advertising, 1092 on outdoor advertising, and 2008 about online advertising were analyzed. A higher probability of conventional cigarette consumption was noted in those exposed to ads via television (aPR=1.85; 95% CI: 1.28-2.69; p=0.002) and online (aPR=1.90; 95% CI: 1.40-2.58; p<0.001), in comparison with those not exposed. Conclusions: Tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship (TAPS) through television and online media are significantly associated with an increase in the consumption of conventional cigarettes among adolescents aged 13-15 years. Therefore, it is necessary to implement comprehensive bans on TAPS in Peru focused on these media to prevent the tobacco industry from continuing to introduce advertising to encourage tobacco consumption.