The impact of state tobacco control program funding cuts on teens' exposure to tobacco control interventions: evidence from Florida

Abstract

PURPOSE: Explore the impact of dramatic budget cuts to the Florida Tobacco Control Program (FTCP) on Florida teens' exposure to tobacco control interventions. DESIGN: Survey data on teens in Florida and a comparison sample of the remainder of the United States. Data were collected in six waves between 2002 and 2006, with three waves collected before and three waves collected after the FTCP budget cut in fiscal year (FY) 2004. SETTING: Florida. SUBJECTS: Twelve- to 17-year-old teens in Florida and the remainder of the United States. Between spring 2002 and summer 2006, 7841 interviews of Florida teens and 10,875 interviews of teens in the remainder of the United States were conducted. MEASURES: Exposure to FTCP interventions, including tobacco countermarketing, school and community organizations, and in-school tobacco prevention curricula. ANALYSIS: Multivariable logistic regression models were used to test whether declines in Florida youth's exposure to FTCP interventions were associated with the FTCP budget cut. RESULTS: Following the FY2004 FTCP budget cut, there were greater declines in teens' exposure to tobacco countermarketing campaigns in Florida compared with the remainder of the United States (odds ratio [OR] = .42; p < .001). The FY2004 budget cut also may have had an impact on exposure to in-school tobacco prevention curricula and school youth organizations (OR = .67; p < .001). CONCLUSION: Program budget cuts in Florida resulted in significant declines in exposure to some FTCP interventions (particularly tobacco countermarketing). Research on the correlates of smoking suggests that these budget cuts could have a significant impact on tobacco-related outcomes among teens