Soneji's team explored whether exposure to tobacco coupons and websites would increase the chances that a young person would start to smoke.
"We found that both direct mail (coupons) and exposure to tobacco websites were associated with increased chances of smoking initiation and current smoking,” Soneji added.
Overall, 12 percent of 15-17-year olds and 26 percent of 18-23-year olds were exposed to either form of direct-to-consumer tobacco marketing.