Abstract
Objectives: In this study, we examined tobacco retailers' perceptions of e-cigarettes and associations with in-store availability of e-cigarettes. Methods: Retailers (N = 700) in multiple, racial/ethnic neighborhoods (black/African-American, N = 200); Hispanic/Latino, N = 200; white American, N = 200; Korean American, N = 100) in Los Angeles County participated in on-site interviews and store observations. Results: Controlling for individual and racial/ethnic neighborhood factors, retailers in majority-white neighborhoods had significantly higher odds of selling e-cigarettes and flavored e-cigarettes than retailers located in Hispanic/Latino (p <.001, OR = 0.14, 95% CI = 0.08-0.25; p <.001, OR = 0.19, 95% CI = 0.11-0.33) and Korean American (p <.05, OR = 0.21, 95% CI = 0.12-0.37; p <.05, OR = 0.21, 95% CI = 0.12-0.39) neighborhoods. Perceptions of e-cigarettes as being completely safe/safer than cigarettes were significantly associated with availability of flavored e-cigarettes (p <.05, OR = 2.03, 95% CI = 1.04-3.97); and opposition to flavored e-cigarette restrictions was marginally significantly associated with availability of flavored e-cigarettes (p <.10, OR = 1.56, 95% CI = 0.96-2.51). Adjusting for store type, perceptions of e-cigarettes as being completely safe/safer than cigarettes were marginally significantly associated with availability of flavored e-cigarettes (p <.10, OR = 1.78, 95% CI = 0.85-3.73). Conclusions: Targeted efforts are warranted for educating retailers and employees in these neighborhoods on the appeal and nicotine dependence potential of e-cigarette use for youth.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 893-901 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | American Journal of Health Behavior |
| Volume | 44 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Nov 2020 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2020 PNG Publications. All rights reserved.
Funding
We thank our funders, the USC Tobacco Center for Regulatory Science in Vulnerable Populations (Pentz/Samet) Project 2 “Maximizing Retailers’ Responsiveness to the Food and Drug Administration Regulatory Authority in Vulnerable Communities” (Baezconde-Garbanati), grant #P50-CA-180905-01) from the National Cancer Institute and the Food and Drug Administration Center for Tobacco Products. At the time of the study, Dr. Sabrina L. Smiley was supported through an award from the National Cancer Institute Research Supplement to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research. We also thank the Project 2 “Maximizing Retailers’ Responsiveness to the Food and Drug Administration Regulatory Authority in Vulnerable Communities” study team, including co-investigators, project staff, and cultural experts for their contributions to the implementation of this study.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Food and Drug Administration Center for Tobacco Products | |
| Food and Drug Administration Regulatory Authority | 50-CA-180905-01 |
| National Childhood Cancer Registry – National Cancer Institute |
Keywords
- E-cigarettes
- Tobacco disparities
- Tobacco marketing
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Health(social science)
- Social Psychology
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
