Trends in Total Advertising Expenditure in 29 Countries, 1970–1980

There is a growing body of national studies identifying reasons for ‘juvenile smoking initiation’ that is, the conditions, motivations and precipitating circumstances associated with children starting to smoke. In contrast, there has been a lack of systematic cross-national research to compare juvenile smoking initiation in a similar manner in countries with different values, levels of economic development, political systems and social stratification. Controlling for all of these factors is a daunting task indeed for any researcher. However, considering that one common remedy has been proposed to combat juvenile smoking, namely, to ban or severely restrict tobacco advertising, it was highly desirable to compare countries which differ significantly in terms of public policies towards tobacco advertising, in order to determine the relative impact of tobacco advertising on why juveniles start smoking. To this end, the tobacco industry's international information organization (INFOTAB) commissioned the Children's Research Unit to investigate a variety of personal, social and cultural factors—including advertising—bearing on juvenile smoking initiation in a sample of countries selected for their different systems regulating tobacco product advertising.