title: The spatial distribution of underage tobacco sales in Los Angeles.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Underage tobacco sales is considered a serious public health problem in Los Angeles. Anecdotally, rates have been thought to be quite high. In this paper, using spatial statistical techniques, we describe underage tobacco sales, identifying areas with high levels of sales and hot spots controlling for sociodemographic measures.
  
  
  METHODS
  Six hundred eighty-nine tobacco outlets were investigated throughout the city of Los Angeles in 2001. We consider the factors that explain vendor location of illegal sales of tobacco to underage youth and focus on those areas with especially high rates of illegal sales when controlling for other independent measures. Using data from the census, the LA City Attorney's Office, and public records on school locations in Los Angeles, we employ general least-squares (GLS) estimators in order to avoid biased estimates.
  
  
  METHODS
  vendor location of underage tobacco compliance checks, violators, and nonviolators.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Underage tobacco sales in Los Angeles were very high (33.5%) for the entire city in 2001. In many zip codes this rate is considerably higher (60%-100%). When conducting spatial modeling, lower income and ethnicity were strongly associated with increases in underage tobacco sales. Hotspot areas of underage tobacco sales also had much lower mean family income and a much higher percentage of foreign born and greater population density.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Spatial techniques were used to better identify areas where vendors sell tobacco to underage youth. Lower income areas were much more likely to both have higher rates of underage tobacco sales and to be a hot spot for such sales. Population density is also significantly associated with underage tobacco sales. The study's limitations are noted.
authors.affiliation: Prevention Research Center (PRC), Berkeley, California 94704, USA. rlipton@prev.org
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lipton
authors.forename: Aniruddha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Banerjee
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.forename: Nora
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Manzanilla
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cochrane