BACKGROUND: Australia has made significant progress in tobacco control, reducing adult smoking prevalence to 12% in 2022/23. However, tobacco supply reduction measures are limited and there are no restrictions on the types of outlets that can sell tobacco. This study examines trends in the types of sources that Australians obtained tobacco products from between 2013 and 2022/23.
METHODS: We analysed data from individuals who smoked cigarettes (N=10975) in four waves of the National Drug Strategy Household Survey (2013, 2016, 2019, 2022/23). Weighted multinomial logistic regression was used to analyse trends in the types of sources where Australians who smoked cigarettes report purchasing tobacco.
RESULTS: Tobacco purchases from major supermarket chains significantly decreased from 50% in 2013 to 34.6% in 2022/23 (p=0.001). In contrast, purchasing from tobacconists increased significantly from 17.5% in 2013 to 33.1% in 2022/23 (p=0.001). Individuals aged 14-17 years were more likely to purchase tobacco from informal sources, convenience stores, and liquor stores compared to those aged 70+ (p>0.05). Smoking less frequently (CONCLUSIONS: Australians’ tobacco purchasing behaviours over the past 10 years have shifted from supermarkets to tobacconists and is influenced by sociodemographic factors such as age and smoking frequency. Understanding changes in where people purchase tobacco products may inform supply side tobacco control strategies.