Retail Pharmacy Policy to End the Sale of Tobacco Products: What Is the Impact on Disparity in Neighborhood Density of Tobacco Outlets?
Population-level research on the implications of retail pharmacy policies to end the sale of tobacco products is scant, and the impact of such policies on racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities across neighborhoods in access to tobacco products remains unexplored.



We investigated the association between neighborhood sociodemographic characteristics and tobacco retail density in Rhode Island (RI; N = 240 census tracts). We also investigated whether the CVS Health (N = 60) policy to end the sale of tobacco products reduces the disparity in the density of tobacco retail across neighborhoods, and we conducted a prospective policy analysis to determine whether a similar policy change in all pharmacies in RI (N = 135) would reduce the disparity in tobacco retail density.



The results revealed statistically significant associations between neighborhood sociodemographic characteristics and tobacco retail outlet density across RI neighborhoods. The results when excluding the CVS Health locations, as well as all pharmacies as tobacco retailers, revealed no change in the pattern for this association.



The results of this study suggest that while a commendable tobacco control policy, the CVS Health policy appears to have no impact on the neighborhood racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in the density of tobacco retailers in RI. Prospective policy analyses showed no impact on this disparity even if all other pharmacies in the state adopted a similar policy.



Policy efforts aimed at reducing the disparity in access to tobacco products should focus on reducing the density of tobacco outlets in poor and racial/ethnic neighborhoods. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 25(9); 1305-10. ©2016 AACR.
Center for Community Based Research, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts. Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts. retucker@hsph.harvard.edu.
Reginald D
RD
Tucker-Seeley
Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.
Carla P
CP
Bezold
Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts. Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.
Peter
P
James
Center for Community Based Research, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.
Melecia
M
Miller
Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC.
Sherrie F
SF
Wallington
D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003132:Commerce / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006291:Health Policy; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D010604:Pharmacy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011204:Poverty Areas; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012237:Rhode Island; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D062789:Tobacco Products / Q000191:economics / Q000600:supply & distribution*