Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Nicotine Tob Res. 2024 May 31;26(Supplement_2):S96-S102. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntad110.
The Massachusetts legislature passed An Act Modernizing Tobacco Control in November 2019 to restrict retail sales of flavored commercially manufactured tobacco products including menthol products, increase penalties for violating the law's provisions, and provide health insurance coverage for tobacco treatment.
This study explores key informants' perceptions of intended and unintended impacts of implementation of the 2019 Massachusetts statewide law through a health equity and racial justice lens. We conducted in-depth interviews with 25 key informants from three key informant groups (public health officials and advocates, clinicians, and school staff) between March 2021 and April 2022. Using deductive codes on unintended impacts of the implementation of the law's policies, we conducted a focused analysis to identify impacts that were perceived and observed by informants from different key informant groups.
Perceived or observed impacts of the law were identified across multiple levels by key informants and included concerns related to three broad themes: 1) intended impacts on health equity and racial justice, 2) ongoing availability of restricted products undermining the intended impact of the law, and 3) inequitable targeting by the policies and enforcement among communities of color.
Future evaluation is needed to assess the intended and unintended impacts of implementation of the Massachusetts law to maximize the potential of the policies to reduce tobacco-related health disparities. We discuss implications and recommendations for achieving a national policy and equitable enforcement of flavored tobacco sales restrictions.
This qualitative study among 25 key informants including public health and tobacco control advocates, clinicians, and school staff obtained perspectives of intended and unintended health equity and racial justice impacts of the 2019 Massachusetts An Act Modernizing Tobacco Control. Findings and recommendations from this study can inform monitoring efforts to assess the law's impacts in Massachusetts and the adoption of similar flavored tobacco sales restrictions and other tobacco control policies in other states to maximize the health equity benefits and minimize unintended impacts.
马萨诸塞州立法机构于 2019 年 11 月通过了一项法案，以限制包括薄荷醇产品在内的调味商业制造烟草产品的零售销售，增加对违反该法律规定的处罚，并为烟草治疗提供健康保险。
本研究通过健康公平和种族正义视角，探讨了关键知情者对实施 2019 年马萨诸塞州全州法律的预期和意外影响的看法。我们于 2021 年 3 月至 2022 年 4 月期间对来自三个关键知情者群体（公共卫生官员和倡导者、临床医生和学校工作人员）的 25 名关键知情者进行了深入访谈。我们使用关于实施该法律政策的意外影响的推导性代码，进行了重点分析，以确定不同关键知情者群体的知情者所感知和观察到的影响。
关键知情者在多个层面上确定了该法律的预期和意外影响，这些影响涉及三个广泛的主题：1）对健康公平和种族正义的预期影响；2）受限产品的持续供应破坏了该法律的预期影响；3）政策和执法在有色人种社区之间的不公平定位。
需要进行未来的评估，以评估马萨诸塞州法律实施的预期和意外影响，以最大限度地发挥这些政策减少与烟草相关的健康差距的潜力。我们讨论了实现全国性政策和公平执法调味烟草销售限制的影响和建议。
这项针对包括公共卫生和烟草控制倡导者、临床医生和学校工作人员在内的 25 名关键知情者的定性研究，获得了 2019 年马萨诸塞州《现代烟草控制法案》在健康公平和种族正义方面的预期和意外影响的观点。本研究的发现和建议可以为监测该法律在马萨诸塞州的影响以及在其他州采用类似的调味烟草销售限制和其他烟草控制政策提供信息，以最大限度地发挥健康公平效益并最小化意外影响。
