Investigating race, gender, and access to cigarettes in an adolescent population.

Objective: To examine race and gender as potential predictors for access to cigarettes and purchasing behaviors among an adolescent population.

Methods: Data were collected from a survey administered to 4336 high school students. The significance was examined using the chi-square test, with a P-value ≤.05.

Results: Noncommercial outlets were the primary source of cigarette acquisition for white students; African American students were more likely than white students to use commercial sources to acquire cigarettes; females were more likely to report not being asked to show proof of age.

Conclusions: Interventions designed to reduce youth access to tobacco must address racial and gender differences.