Survey of Cigarette Promotional Items from Street Vendors: A Thai Preliminary Study

Objective: To examine indirect cigarette advertising by street vendors and assess the types of Cigarette Promotional Items sold by street vendors in metropolitan Bangkok, Thailand. Material and Method: This survey was conducted in metropolitan Bangkok between February and May 2011. Data was collected using a questionnaire including price, origin and type of Cigarette Promotional Items from street vendor merchants in 15 places. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Results: There was a total of 8 types of Cigarette Promotional Items, including lighters, key chains, stickers, jackets, cases, 3 D models, T – shirts, and hats. The majority of Cigarette Promotional Items were cigarette lighters and key chains (38.8 % and 32.3 % respectively) and most of them displayed Marlboro logos (71.0 %). The reason for buying the Cigarette Promotional Items was for the buyers own use or to give as a gift. These Cigarette Promotional Items were available at night bazaars and shops around department stores where tourists usually shop. Key chains were a popular Cigarette Promotional Item among teenagers and working people, both tourists and Thais, because the price was cheap (approximately 50 cents to a dollar each) and the size was small, which was suitable for carrying. Most T-shirts were made in Thailand, whereas most of the other souvenirs came from Malaysia. Marlboro was a popular logo for T-shirts and souvenirs as well. Conclusion: Findings from this study suggest that policy, on the ban of advertising of cigarette by street vendors, should be strictly enforced for smoking prevention, particularly among young people in Thailand. In addition, health education should also be encouraged for street vendor merchants.