Vape Shop and Consumer Activity During COVID-19 Non-essential Business Closures in the USA.
Thursday, November 19, 2020
Posted by: Natalia Gromov
Berg
CJ, Callanan R, Johnson TO, et al
Vape Shop and Consumer
Activity During COVID-19 Non-essential Business Closures in the USA.
Tobacco Control Published Online First: 19 October 2020. doi:
10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2020-056171
Introduction
Vaping and vape shops pose risk for COVID-19 and its transmission.
Objectives
We examined vape shop non-compliance with state-ordered business closures
during COVID-19, changes in their marketing and experiences among consumers.
Methods
As part of a longitudinal study of vape retail in six metropolitan statistical
areas (MSAs; Atlanta, Boston, Minneapolis, Oklahoma City, San Diego and
Seattle), we conducted: (1) legal research to determine whether statewide
COVID-19 orders required vape shops to close; (2) phone-based and web-based
surveillance to assess vape shop activity in March–June 2020 during
shelter-in-place periods; and (3) a concurrent online survey of e-cigarette
users about their experiences with vape retail.
Results Non-essential
business closure varied in timing/duration across states and applied to vape
shops in California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma (for a brief period)
and Washington (Georgia’s orders were ambiguous). Surveillance analysis focused
on the five MSAs in these states. Of 156 vape shops, 53.2% were open as usual,
11.5% permanently closed and 3.8% temporarily closed; 31.4% offered
pick-up/delivery services. Among survey respondents (n=354, Mage=23.9±4.6;
46.9% male, 71.8% white, 13.0% Hispanic), 27.4% worried their vape shop would
close/go out of business during COVID-19; 7.3% said their vape shop did so. Few
noticed increases in vape product delivery options (7.3%), discounts/price
promotions (9.9%) and/or prices (9.3%). While 20.3% stockpiled vape products,
20.3% tried to reduce use and 15.8% tried to quit.
Conclusions
Many vape shops were non-compliant with state COVID-19 orders. E-cigarette
users were as likely to stockpile vape products as to attempt to reduce or quit
using e-cigarettes.
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