Abstract
In 1995, a survey was carried out of all garages in Solihull Borough to assess, firstly, the extent of tobacco advertising and compliance with the Voluntary Agreement on tobacco advertising, and secondly, for the presence and position of the warning notice prohibiting sales to under-16- year-olds. In all, 49 garages were visited, of which 40 met the inclusion criteria of selling both petrol and cigarettes. Seven tobacco advertisements were suspected of breaching the Voluntary Agreement, but only one was confirmed as a breach by the official monitoring committee, COMATAS, which was an Embassy showcase without a health warning. The 'under-16' warning notice was not displayed at five garages. Similar surveys of different retail sales outlets for tobacco are carried out each year in Solihull to ensure compliance of tobacco advertising material with the Voluntary Agreement and the display of the 'under-16' warning notice. This paper discusses the rationale for carrying out similar systematic surveys in other districts for more effective lobbying and influence on compliance.
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