A social justice approach to tobacco policy advocacy

Youth Leadership Institute's Tobacco Use Reduction Force (TURF) uses research and policy advocacy to make tobacco retail density more equitable across San Francisco neighborhoods. Research has shown positive relationships between tobacco outlet density and smoking-related harm: odds of being a smoker are higher for adolescents living in neighborhoods with high tobacco density, and lower neighborhood socioeconomic status and higher tobacco retail outlet density are associated with increased levels of smoking (Chuang, et. al., 2005) and sales to minors (Novak, et. al, 2006).

TURF examined tobacco permit density, neighborhood income, and ethnic make-up. They found that neighborhoods with the lowest per capita income and highest populations of people of color also had the highest concentrations of tobacco permits. TURF surveyed two neighborhoods with high tobacco outlet density and two with low outlet density and found that more residents of the low income, high tobacco density neighborhoods perceived that tobacco companies target advertisements to their neighborhoods (69.5%) compared to residents of the more affluent, lower outlet density neighborhoods (43%). More youth from lower income, higher outlet density neighborhoods reported easier access to tobacco (75%) compared to youth in higher income, lower outlet density neighborhoods (43%).

This paper describes 1) TURF's research findings; 2) policy advocacy to make tobacco permit density more equitable across neighborhoods; 3) how a social justice lens enhances research and advocacy; and 4) how the youth researchers/advocates, residents of the neighborhoods affected by high outlet density, have increased both their own and their neighborhoods' capacity to address this issue.