Monitoring compliance with the ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and product display at the point-of-sale 10 months after its implementation in Dakar, Senegal.

Introduction: In 2014, Senegal emerged as a leader in tobacco control in the WHO African Region (AFRO) after adopting one of the strongest national tobacco control laws in AFRO. Among other measures, the law included a comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship (TAPS) at the point-of-sale (POS), including a ban on product display. The goal of this study was to assess retailer compliance with the TAPS ban in Dakar, Senegal, 10 months after its implementation at the POS.

Methods: Using a purposive sampling strategy, retail audits were performed at 309 tobacco retailers in 12 neighborhoods of Dakar. Data collectors used Kobo Toolbox, a web-based data collection platform. A checklist was developed based on the TAPS provisions, Euromonitor data, and a previous compliance packaging and labeling study conducted in Dakar. The survey included neighborhood name and location, hub location, POS type, tobacco products for sale, and type of tobacco advertising, promotion, and product displays observed.

Results: Overall compliance with the ban on all TAPS at the POS was observed at less than 5% (n = 15) of stores surveyed and varied by retailer type. Compliance with the ban on product display was 6.1% (n = 19), while compliance with all other components of the TAPS ban combined was higher, at 67.3% (n = 208). Philip Morris International and Imperial Tobacco products and marketing were responsible for most violations observed.

Conclusions: Low levels of compliance 10 months after implementation may suggest weak enforcement from local authorities and intentional undermining of advertising bans from the tobacco industry.

Implications: Exposure to TAPS at the POS increases impulse buying, normalizes tobacco products and use, and increases likelihood of youth initiation. There is a dearth of implementation literature for tobacco control policies in the WHO African Region. This study provides monitoring and compliance data in Dakar, Senegal 10 months after implementation of a national TAPS ban. This study presents data for policymakers in Senegal and similar low- and middle-income settings on specific areas of a tobacco control law that may require additional enforcement measures for better compliance.