In their study, the Bremen researchers systematically investigated for the first time how many tobacco outlets are located in the immediate vicinity of schools in an entire German city. This is particularly relevant for smoking prevention, as tobacco products can still be advertised at and in retail outlets. The number of outlets can therefore provide information about the extent to which children and young people are exposed to advertising. The study compared the geographical coordinates of all elementary and high schools in Bremen with those of all tobacco outlets (kiosks, tobacco shops, cigarette vending machines, and supermarkets). The same analysis was carried out for Hamburg for comparison purposes.
Results Reveal High Density of Tobacco Outlets
The study concludes that each school in Bremen has an average of 7.46 tobacco outlets within walking distance (500 meters) and 1.27 outlets within the distance that can be covered during a break (200 meters).
The figures vary greatly depending on location: While some elementary schools are surrounded by up to 32 outlets within walking distance, there are also other schools that have no outlets within walking distance. A total of 992 outlets selling tobacco products were identified in Bremen, including 264 cigarette vending machines, 169 kiosks, 55 tobacco shops, and 129 supermarkets. Tobacco products are legally allowed to be advertised at all of these outlets except for cigarette vending machines. Professor Benjamin Schüz from the University of Bremen, who led the study, emphasizes: “Tobacco advertising and easily available tobacco products in young people's everyday lives play a decisive role in making smoking seem normal.”
Tobacco Advertising Normalizes Smoking among Young People
Current research suggests that tobacco advertising and the placement of tobacco products alongside other everyday goods, such as sweets at checkouts, normalizes smoking for children and young people – even when sales are restricted by law. The Bremen study fills an important research gap, as it is the first time that data on tobacco sales outlets in the school environment has been collected for an entire German city. The results can serve as a basis for further prevention measures.
Germany Lagging Behind in Tobacco Prevention in European Comparison
This is important because Germany is one of the countries in Europe with an above-average smoking rate – among both adults and young people. Current European comparative data from 2020 shows that only Hungary (28.6 percent) has more young people aged between 15 and 19 who smoke than Germany (20.6 percent).
The situation is particularly critical in the state of Bremen, where, according to data from the 2021 microcensus, more adults (20.7 percent) smoke than the national average (18.9 percent). Only in the states of Thüringen and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is the percentage even higher. “These figures show that we can still do more to combat smoking, which is the biggest preventable health risk of all,” stresses Professor Benjamin Schüz.
No Official Data on Tobacco Outlets Available
A secondary finding of the study concerns the data situation. The researchers had to extract the geo-coordinates and addresses of tobacco outlets from online map services (Google Maps) as neither the authorities responsible for trade or health nor the customs authorities were able to provide the locations of cigarette vending machines or shops selling tobacco products. This was either down to data protection reasons or because there is simply no systematic record of such outlets, which is not only the case in Bremen. The relevant trade associations were also unwilling to provide information. “This highlights a fundamental problem in research on legal addictive substances. We have hardly any well-documented data on points of sale in Germany, neither for tobacco nor for alcohol,” explains Professor Schüz.
Researchers Call for More Consistent Health Protection
The researchers are calling for effective tobacco control measures to finally be implemented in Germany. These include restricting the availability of tobacco products based on the Dutch model, where cigarettes are not sold in supermarkets and, from 2030, will only be available in specialist shops. Further measures include better data on tobacco consumption and sales, consistent regulation of product placement, including e-cigarettes, in shops, and a consistent ban on advertising, including in retail outlets, especially those that can be accessed by children and young people. The Bremen experts also believe that getting rid of cigarette vending machines and creating more smoke-free zones, including outdoors, would be helpful ways to stop smoking from being seen as normal. This could better protect kids and teens from smoking. “Bremen could become a pioneer in many of these measures,” Professor Schüz is convinced, ”and thus transform itself from one of the states with the highest smoking rates into a role model for others.”
The following people contributed to the study:
Nourat Noemi Alazza, Marie Horn, Benjamin Schüz (Institute of Public Health and Nursing Research, University of Bremen)
Annika Nolte, Susanne de Vogel (Data Science Center, University of Bremen)
Further Information:
https://www.uni-bremen.de/en/fb11
Contact:
Prof. Dr. Benjamin Schüz
University of Bremen
Faculty of Human and Health Sciences
Institute of Public Health and Nursing Research (IPP)
Prevention and Health Promotion
Phone: +49 421 218-68833
Email: benjamin.schuezprotect me ?!uni-bremenprotect me ?!.de
