Analysis of Point of Sale Tobacco Retail Practices in Spokane

Tobacco is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality responsible for millions of deaths every year. According to the World Health Organization tobacco kills an estimated 6 million people every year. In 2011 in Washington State, 17.5% adults smoked (7th in the U.S.). Based on our survey results, the average price that Washington smokers reported paying for their last pack of cigarettes was $6.44 in 2009–2010; the range among states was $7.98 to $4.04. 2013 productivity loss in the U.S. exceeded $150 billion Tobacco is an important public health problem worldwide. Using the Standardized Tobacco Assessment for Retail Settings (STARS) survey, designed for practitioners to inform state and local tobacco control policies at the point of sale, the study evaluated the distribution of health promotion and risk issues in tobacco marketing among South Hill, Spokane tobacco outlets. National and state smoking trends were compared and contrasted current data and the testing area. Results were varying with a near plurality of stores offering tobacco in through cigarette fashion