Inequities in tobacco retailer density: Neighboring places matter

Inequities in tobacco retailer density: Neighboring places matter

This study, co-authored by ASPiRE’s Amanda Kong, Paul Delamater, Kurt Ribisl, Chris Baggett, and Shelley Golden, investigates census tract racial, ethnic, and sociodemographic characteristics to determine their association with tobacco retailer density. Results indicated that a higher percentage of Black and Latino residents was associated with a higher tobacco retailer density in both the tract itself and neighboring tracts. Conversely, average retailer density decreased in a tract and in neighboring tracts as the percentage of white residents increased. Similar inequities were found based on various measures of socioeconomic status, with increased retailer density in tracts with lower socioeconomic resources and in neighboring regions. The authors recommended prioritizing policies that reduce tobacco product availability in geographic areas with more economically disadvantaged, Black, and Latino residents. Read the paper. Read Kong’s tweetorial.