title: Neighborhood Inequalities in Retailers' Compliance With the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009, January 2014-July 2014.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Retailer noncompliance with limited US tobacco regulations on advertising and labeling was historically patterned by neighborhood in ways that promote health disparities. In 2010, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began enforcing stronger tobacco retailer regulations under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009. However, recent research has found no differences in compliance by neighborhood characteristics for FDA advertising and labeling inspections. We sought to investigate the neighborhood characteristics associated with retailer noncompliance with specific FDA advertising and labeling inspections (ie, violations of bans on self-service displays, selling single cigarettes, false or mislabeled products, vending machines, flavored cigarettes, and free samples).
  
  
  METHODS
  We coded FDA advertising and labeling warning letters (n = 718) for type of violations and geocoded advertising and labeling inspections from January 1 through July 31, 2014 (N = 33,543). Using multilevel models, we examined cross-sectional associations between types of violations and neighborhood characteristics previously associated with disparities (ie, percentage black, Latino, under the poverty line, and younger than 18 years).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Retailer advertising and labeling violations are patterned by who lives in the neighborhood; regulated tobacco products are more likely to be stored behind the counter as the percentage of black or Latino residents increases, and single cigarettes are more often available for purchase in neighborhoods as the percentage of black, poor, or young residents increases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Contrary to previous null findings, noncompliance with FDA advertising and labeling regulations is patterned by neighborhood characteristics, sometimes in opposite directions. Given the low likelihood of self-service violations in the same neighborhoods that have high likelihood of single cigarette sales, we suggest targeted approaches to FDA retailer inspections and education campaigns.
authors.affiliation: Belk Building, Department of Health Education and Promotion, College of Health and Human Performance, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858. Email: LEEJOSE14@ecu.edu.
authors.forename: Joseph G L
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Tobacco Prevention and Evaluation Program, Department of Family Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Hannah M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.affiliation: Tobacco Prevention and Evaluation Program, Department of Family Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Leah M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Ranney
authors.affiliation: Tobacco Prevention and Evaluation Program, Department of Family Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Adam O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Goldstein
mesh_terms: D000329:Advertising; D001741:Black or African American; D003132:Commerce / Q000592:standards*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005192:Family Health; D033161:Government Regulation; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D011203:Poverty; D011356:Product Labeling; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D062789:Tobacco Products / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000145:classification*; D014481:United States; D014486:United States Food and Drug Administration