Disparities in retail marketing for little cigars and cigarillos in Los Angeles, California

Abstract

Introduction Evidence of a concentration of cigarette advertising in predominantly low-income, non-White neighborhoods underscores the need to examine retail marketing and promotions for novel tobacco products like little cigars and cigarillos (LCCs). We sought to investigate neighborhood racial/ethnic disparities in LCC marketing at retail, including availability, advertising, price promotions, and product placement in Los Angeles, California. Methods Between January 2016 and April 2017, community health workers (n = 19) conducted in-person observational audits from tobacco retail stores (n = 679) located in zip codes with a high percentage of non-Hispanic White (n = 196), Black (n = 194), Hispanic/Latino (n = 189), or Korean American (n = 100) residents. To account for clustering effect of zip codes, multilevel modeling approach for a dichotomized outcome was conducted to evaluate the association between racial/ethnic neighborhood sample and dependent variables. Results Stores located in zip codes with a high percentage of non-Hispanic Blacks had more than eight times higher odds of selling LCCs (OR = 8.10; 95% CI = 3.10–21.11 vs. non-Hispanic White), more than five times higher odds of selling flavored LCCs (OR = 5.20; 95% CI = 2.33–11.61 vs. non-Hispanic White), and more than six times higher odds of displaying storefront exterior LCC signage (OR = 6.03; 95% CI = 2.93–12.40 vs. non-Hispanic White). Stores in Hispanic/Latino and Korean American communities had about three times higher odds of selling LCCs (OR = 3.02; 95% CI = 1.15–7.93 vs. non-Hispanic White; OR = 2.99; 95% CI = 1.33–6.71 vs. non-Hispanic White). Conclusions LCCs are heavily marketed in retail establishments in Los Angeles, with disproportionate targeting of predominantly non-White neighborhoods, especially stores in neighborhoods with a higher proportion of African Americans. Local, state, and federal flavor restrictions, minimum pack size standards, preventive messages, and campaigns could counter the influence of LCC marketing in retail establishments.

Comparison of e-cigarette marketing and availability in tobacco retail outlets among diverse low-income communities in California

“…Greater e-cigarette availability in NHW communities may be explained by higher use, awareness and positive perceptions among community members, which may lead to increased customer demand. Within the context of other emerging tobacco products, current findings differ from previous research which found that retailers within non-white communities were more likely to sell and advertise little cigars and cigarillos 13…”

“…Identifying tobacco retailers on AI Tribal land required a unique strategy as federally recognised tribes are sovereign nations and retailers are not required to obtain state licensure to sell tobacco products 12 13. Stores on Tribal land were identified in Southern, Central and Northern California using Google Maps, Esri Business Analyst data and store listings provided by CDTFA 12 13. The number of tobacco retailers varied across Tribal lands; therefore, all stores on Tribal land or within a 1-mile radius were included in the sample.…”

“…The number of tobacco retailers varied across Tribal lands; therefore, all stores on Tribal land or within a 1-mile radius were included in the sample. Details of community and tobacco retailer sampling strategies can be found elsewhere 12 13…”

Exploring changes in cigar smoking patterns and motivations to quit cigars among black young adults in the time of COVID-19

“…The affordability of cigarillos encourages Black young adults to maintain and increase cigar smoking even when experiencing economic losses during the pandemic. Much evidence has already shown that these targeted marketing tactics have contributed to the disproportionately high use of cigarillo products among Black communities ( Cantrell et al, 2013 , Smiley et al, 2019 ). Therefore, local-level tobacco regulations, including increased cigar minimal pricing, restrictions on price promotions, and reduced tobacco retailer density are greatly needed to minimize the influence of pervasive and targeted marketing to reduce cigar smoking-caused disparities among Black communities.…”

Retail Marketing of Menthol Cigarettes in Los Angeles, California: a Challenge to Health Equity

“…Exposure to retail tobacco marketing is a risk factor for smoking initiation among adolescents (12,13) and increased smoking among adults (9,14). The literature (15)(16)(17) on tobacco marketing disparities in the retail environment is growing, and findings indicate that low-income and majority non-White neighborhoods have high densities of tobacco retailers and are disproportionately exposed to marketing of cheap, harmful, combustible tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes.…”