Association of tobacco retailer count with smoking population versus vaping population in California (2019)

Vidya Purushothaman,Jiawei Li,Matthew Nali,Tim K Mackey,Raphael E Cuomo

doi:10.1186/s13690-022-00799-1

Abstract

BackgroundAccess to tobacco products, including vape products, from local brick-and-mortar stores influences the exposure, uptake, and use of these products in local communities.MethodsLicensed tobacco retailers in California were classified as specialized tobacco/vape stores or non-specialized stores by obtaining categories published on Yelp. California smoking and vaping prevalence data were obtained from the 500 cities project and ESRI community analyst tool respectively. A series of simple linear regression tests were performed, at the zip code level, between the retailer count in each store category and smoking/vaping population. The Getis-Ord Gi* and Anselin Local Moran’s I statistics were used for characterization of tobacco retail density hotspots and cold spots.ResultsThe association between CA smoking/vaping population and number of tobacco retailers was statistically significant for all store categories. Variability in smoking population was best explained by variability in non-specialized storefronts(R2=0.84). Spatial variability in tobacco-only storefronts explained the least proportion of variability in the overall smoking population. Similar results were obtained specific to vaping population, although the proportion of population explained by variability in the number of non-specialized storefronts was comparatively lower(R2=0.80).ConclusionsLocalities with greater numbers of non-specialized tobacco retailers had higher rates of smoking/vaping populations, and this association was much stronger for localities with greater numbers of specialized retailers. Non-specialized storefronts may represent convenient access points for nicotine products, while specialized storefronts may represent critical access points for initiation. Hence, regulations that address the entirety of the tobacco/vaping retail environment by limiting widespread access from non-specialized stores and reducing appeal generated by specialized retailers should be incorporated in future tobacco regulatory science and policymaking.

Highlights

Access to tobacco products, including vape products, from local brick-and-mortar stores influences the exposure, uptake, and use of these products in local communities
90.57% (n=20,044) stores were non-specialized retailers, 3.71% (n=820) were tobacco-specific stores, 3.83% (n=848) were vape-specific stores, and 1.89% (n= 419) were stores that specialized in selling both tobacco and vape products
This study focused on exploring the potential associations between smoking and vaping population and retailer count of specialized tobacco and/or vape stores in comparison with non-specialized storefronts that are licensed to sell tobacco products in the state of California

Summary

Introduction

Access to tobacco products, including vape products, from local brick-and-mortar stores influences the exposure, uptake, and use of these products in local communities. The tobacco retail landscape is constantly evolving, with the number of access points expanding to include specialty stores that exclusively focus on the distribution, marketing, and sale of popular vaping products along with generating demand for other alternative and emerging tobacco products (e.g., JUUL, Heat-Not-Burn) [2]. In the United States, the proportion of youth and young adults using vaping products has increased considerably [3], leading to greater demand and increased diversity of retailers specializing and exclusively catering to the vaping community. Market access to new and diverse vaping products can lead to never smokers initiating, current users transitioning, and possible dual product use (i.e., both cigarettes and vape products) [8, 9]

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Conclusion