What is the Relationship Between Raising the Minimum Legal Sales Age of Tobacco Above 20 and Cigarette Smoking? A Systematic Review.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

There is considerable interest in raising the age of sale of tobacco above the conventional age of 18 years. We systematically reviewed whether raising the minimum legal sales age of tobacco (MLSA) to 20 or above is associated with a reduced prevalence of smoking compared to an MLSA set at 18 or below.

Aims and methods

Following a preregistered protocol on PROSPERO (ref: CRD42022347604), six databases of peer-reviewed journals were searched from January 2015 to April 2024. Backward and forward reference searching was conducted. Included studies assessed the association between MLSAs ≥20 with cigarette smoking or cigarette sales for those aged 11-20 years. Assessments on e-cigarettes were excluded. Pairs of reviewers independently extracted study data. We used RO

SUBMITTER: Davies N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11847775 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature