Density and Proximity of Licensed Tobacco Retailers and Adolescent Smoking

Abstract

Adolescent smoking prevention is an important issue in health care. This literature review describes the theoretical concept of ecological model for adolescent smoking and tobacco retailers and summarizes previous studies on the association between the density and proximity of tobacco retailers and adolescent smoking. We reviewed nine studies on tobacco retailer density and proximity in relation to adolescent smoking, published in peer-reviewed journals between 2004 and 2014. The tobacco retailer density and proximity were correlated with adolescent lifetime smoking, past 12-month smoking, past 30-day smoking, and susceptibility to smoking. School nurses or other school health professionals may need to include the density and proximity of tobacco retailer factors around schools in school-based tobacco-use prevention programs. Health policy makers may need to consider zoning or licensing restrictions of tobacco retailers around schools for adolescent smoking prevention.

Analyse de l’accessibilité géographique aux commerces spécialisés en produits de vapotage autour des établissements d’enseignement secondaire et collégial du Québec

“…Nous avons effectué des analyses pour dresser un portrait de la situation au Québec Des facteurs tant personnels qu'environne mentaux ont été associés à l'usage des produits de vapotage chez les jeunes 7 et, à l'instar des produits du tabac, certaines études suggèrent que l'accessibilité géo graphique aux lieux de vente de ces produits serait l'un de ces facteurs. En effet, l'accès et la visibilité des produits du tabac, par l'entremise des points de vente, ont été associés à l'usage de ces produits chez les jeunes 8,9 . Il pourrait en être de même pour les produits de vapotage, des études américaines récentes allant dans ce sens 1012 .…”

Tobacco outlet density and tobacco knowledge, beliefs, purchasing behaviours and price among adolescents in Scotland

“…Research which has considered outlet density in school areas has also found a relationship with adolescent smoking (Barnett et al, 2017, Gwon et al, 2016. However, three studies comparing outlet density near adolescents' home and school found an association with smoking for home area only (Shortt et al, 2014, Lipperman-Kreda et al, 2014b, Schleicher et al, 2016), suggesting home environment may matter more.…”

“…The study found less evidence of association between tobacco outlets and pathways to smoking than some previous research. This could be because these analyses were completed in different contexts, often within regions and cities in USA (Gwon et al, 2016) rather than at a national level in Scotland.…”

“…This study explored only a selection of the pathways hypothesised in the conceptual model and assessed them in separate models not in combination. It didn't consider the association between the pathways and adolescent smoking behaviour because, like most studies in this field, it was limited by cross-sectional data (Gwon et al, 2016). Some pathways in the conceptual model, such as tobacco knowledge and smoking beliefs, may have bi-directional relationships with smoking, so longitudinal data would be required to assess them.…”

“…Therefore, international public health debate continues to focus upon the need to better regulate tobacco. Research in high-income countries has indicated greater densities of tobacco retail outlets in residential neighbourhoods are associated with greater prevalence of smoking among adolescents and adults (Gwon et al, 2016, Barnett et al, 2017. Public health researchers have suggested tobacco retail outlet density is a potential 'new frontier' for tobacco control (Cohen andAnglin, 2009, Gartner andMcNeill, 2010).…”