Neighborhood Inequities in Tobacco Retailer Density and the Presence of Tobacco-selling Pharmacies a
Thursday, June 16, 2022
Posted by: Natalia Gromov
Kong
AY, Delamater PL, Gottfredson NC, Ribisl KM, Baggett CD, Golden SD.
Neighborhood Inequities in
Tobacco Retailer Density and the Presence of Tobacco-selling Pharmacies and
Tobacco Shops.
Health Educ Behav. 2022;49(3):478-487. doi:10.1177/10901981211008390
Studies document inequitable tobacco retailer density by neighborhood
sociodemographics, but these findings may not be robust to different density
measures. Policies to reduce density may be less equitable depending on how the
presence of store types differs by neighborhood characteristics. We built a
2018 list of probable tobacco retailers in the United States and calculated
four measures of density for all census tracts (N = 71,495), including total
count, and number of retailers per 1,000 people, square mile, and kilometers of
roadway. We fit multivariable regression models testing associations between
each density measure and tract-level sociodemographics. We fit logistic
regression models testing associations between sociodemographics and the
presence of a tobacco-selling pharmacy or tobacco shop. Across all measures,
tracts with a greater percentage of residents living below 150% of the federal
poverty level (FPL) had higher density. A higher percentage of Black residents,
Hispanic or Latino residents, and vacant housing was inconsistently associated
with density across measures. Neighborhoods with a greater percentage of Black
residents had a lower odds of having a pharmacy (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] =
0.96, 95% confidence interval [CI; 0.95, 0.97]) and tobacco shop (aOR = 0.87,
CI [0.86, 0.89]), while those with a greater percentage of residents living
below 150% FPL had greater odds of having a tobacco shop (aOR = 1.18, CI [1.16,
1.20]). Researchers and policymakers should consider how various measures of
retailer density may capture different aspects of the environment. Furthermore,
there may be an inequitable impact of retailer-specific policies on tobacco
availability.
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