Last month, in honor of national Kick Butts Day, over 1000 groups held events to take a stand against Big Tobacco. Several groups used some of our Youth and Community Engagement Activities during their events! For example, two groups used the Point of Sale Scavenger Hunt, in which youth work in teams to identify the most problematic tobacco industry activities in their area by visiting stores and documenting what they find. The scavenger hunts included items such as: 20-packs of flavored little cigars priced at less than $2.00 per pack, youth appeal marketing, and tobacco products displayed near candy. Two of the groups who participated in this activity included:
Healthy Aroostook and Easton Recreation Department in Easton, ME
Healthy Communities of Clinton County in Frankfurt, IN
See what the groups did and what they found on their scavenger hunts below:
Upcoming CDC OSH Point of Sale Webinar
Controlling Your Own Density:
Strategies to Reduce the Number of Tobacco Outlets in Your Community, May 3rd, 2016 11:00am PDT/ 2:00pm EDT
Because the density of tobacco retailers is associated with increased tobacco use and initiation, many communities are implementing strategies to reduce the density of tobacco outlets, particularly in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color where tobacco retailer density is disproportionately high.
Healthy Equity: Given disparities in tobacco use rates, advertising, and tobacco retailer density, it is important to consider the health equity impacts of any tobacco control policy. Here's a great example of Multnomah County, Oregon and Upstream Public Health doing just that with a Health Equity Impact Assessment on Tobacco Retailer Licensing.
Tobacco 21: Interested in raising the age in your community? The Tobacco Control Legal Consortium has some great updated resources:
This study found that blacks, Hispanics, and Asians report paying $0.49-$0.89 more per cigarette pack than whites. This was in part explained by higher rates of carton purchasing by non-Hispanic whites. The authors suggest that local pricing markets may also play a roll. In addition, AI/AN groups reported paying as low of prices as whites, primarily due to cheaper prices when purchasing on a reservation. Policies that focus on bulk purchases (e.g. carton or multi-pack purchases) and purchases on reservations may be important for reducing racial and ethnic differences in smoking rates. Learn more about raising tobacco prices through non-tax approaches.
In 2011, Boston implemented a cigar packaging and pricing regulation that required single cigars to cost more than $2.50, a package of two cigars to cost more than $5.00, and a package of three cigars to cost more than $7.50. Otherwise, the regulation stipulated that cigars must be sold in packages of at least four. As a result, both sales and retail availability of single grape-flavored Dutch Masters cigars (which are popular among youth) decreased. Between 2011 and 2014, the percentage of Boston retailers selling grape DM single cigars decreased by 34.5%. Additionally, the number of neighborhoods with 3 or more retailers selling these cigars per 100 youth residents decreased from 12 stores to 3, reducing neighborhood-level disparities in retail availability. Learn more about polices that restrict availability, placement, and packaging of tobacco products, including flavored tobacco.
The journal Tobacco Control focuses all on e-cigarettes this month! View the table of contents here. A sample of the studies included:
Cheap tobacco ad outside of a corner convenience store at kids' eye level on a bike route in a low-income neighborhood. Taken in Fort Wayne, IN by Nancy Cripe.
