College of Public Health, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
Department of Statistics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
Prev Chronic Dis. 2022 Aug 11;19:E49. doi: 10.5888/pcd19.210454.
The density of tobacco retailers varies by community characteristics such as poverty levels or racial and ethnic composition. However, few studies have investigated how specific types of tobacco retailers vary by community characteristics. Our objective was to assess how the types of tobacco retailers in Ohio varied by the characteristics of the communities in which they were located.
For all US Census tracts, convenience stores were the most common type of retailer selling tobacco. Yet, the prevalence of convenience stores was higher in high-poverty urban tracts than in low-poverty urban tracts. Discount stores were the second-most common type of tobacco retailer and were most prevalent in rural tracts and high-racial and ethnic minority urban tracts. Grocery stores, pharmacies, and vape or hookah shops typically had the highest prevalence in more advantaged tracts.
Our findings demonstrate that the distribution of specific retailer types varies by community characteristics. The distribution of these retailer types has implications for product availability and price, which may subsequently affect tobacco use and cessation. To create equitable outcomes, policies should focus on retailers such as convenience and discount stores, which are heavily located in communities experiencing tobacco-related health disparities.
烟草零售商的密度因社区特征而异，如贫困水平或种族和民族构成。然而，很少有研究调查特定类型的烟草零售商如何因社区特征而异。我们的目的是评估俄亥俄州的烟草零售商类型如何因所在社区的特征而有所不同。
对于所有美国人口普查地段，便利店是最常见的销售烟草的零售商类型。然而，高贫困城市地段的便利店比低贫困城市地段更为普遍。折扣店是第二常见的烟草零售商类型，在农村地段和高种族和少数民族城市地段最为普遍。杂货店、药店和电子烟或水烟店通常在较优越的地段更为普遍。
我们的研究结果表明，特定零售商类型的分布因社区特征而异。这些零售商类型的分布对产品的供应和价格有影响，这可能会影响烟草使用和戒烟。为了实现公平的结果，政策应该关注便利店和折扣店等零售商，这些零售商主要分布在面临与烟草相关的健康差距的社区。
