The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #37765

Anna Sandoval, MPH¹, Frank Chaloupka, PhD¹, Erin Ruel, MA¹, Sandy Slater, MS¹, and Yvonne Terry-McElrath, MSA². (1) Health Research and Policy Centers (M/C 275), University of Illinois at Chicago, 850 West Jackson Blvd, Suite 400, Chicago, IL 60607-3025, 312-355-2388, asando1@uic.edu, (2) Office of Social Research, University Of Michigan, 426 Thompson Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48101-2321

This presentation will provide a thumbnail sketch of tobacco retail outlet observations over a three-year period to determine a store's overall level of "tobacco friendliness." The concept of tobacco friendliness will be addressed through observational data from tobacco retailers including interior/exterior advertising density levels, product placement, promotions, functional objects, and product prices. Finally the percentage in change over the three-year period will address whether or not the retail outlets are getting friendlier. Store data were obtained from a sample of nationally representative 8th, 10th and 12th grade schools. For each index school, a catchment area, or community, was then defined, reflecting the area from which the school draws the majority of its students. A list of all likely tobacco retailers located within the specified census blocks was generated. Store observations were conducted from 1999 to 2001 during in the months of February through June. In 1999 2,972 retail outlets were observed, while in 2000 2,998 were observed and in 2001 4,537 were observed. Retail outlets include convenience store, gas stations, grocery stores, supermarket, and pharmacies, among others. The resulting data allow a comparison of various physical tobacco retail environments in outlets. Comparisons will be presented by store type plus an overview of changes throughout the three-year period will be provided.

Learning Objectives: Learning Objectives

• Identify physical environment characteristics that make a retail outlet tobacco friendly.
• Evaluate different types of retail outlets and determine which are tobacco friendly.
• Discuss with other researchers, community activists, policy makers, and the public on actions to take to change physcial environmental characteristics in retail outlets so that tobacco products are less friendly to access.

Keywords: Tobacco,

Related Web page: www.impacteen.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.