TEENAGERS in Scotland who live close to lots of shops selling tobacco are more likely to use cigarettes than those who do not, according to a new study.

Using a map showing the tobacco retailers in every postcode in Scotland, researchers at Edinburgh and Glasgow Universities found that the "retail environment" in which teenagers are brought up exerts a powerful influence - teens were almost 50 per cent more likely to take up smoking if they lived in areas with the largest number of shops that sell tobacco products.