April 2022 News and Research Roundup

Welcome to CounterTobacco.org’s “News and Research Roundup!” Each month we post a summary of the latest research, reports, and news stories on counteracting tobacco product sales and marketing at the point of sale (POS). Keeping up with what’s happening in the POS movement all across the country can help you choose policies and strategies that work best for your community. New research can help provide support for your work and evidence for the importance of the “War in the Store.” Have a story you don’t want us to miss? E-mail it to us!

New Research

Retailer Density

The Co-occurrence of Specialty Vape Shops, Social Disadvantage, and Poor Air Quality in the United States: An Assessment of Cumulative Risks to Youth, Health Equity
- This study found that vape shops were nearly twice as likely to be located in neighborhoods with the lowest socioeconomic statuses than in neighborhoods with the highest socioeconomic status. In addition, as neighborhood air quality decreased, the number of vape shops located in a neighborhood increased. Researchers conclude that this “further points to potentially disproportionate impacts on disadvantaged populations due to cumulative social and environmental risks.”
- Licensing and zoning are both strategies that can help reduce the number and location of vape shops.

Point-of-Sale Pricing Policies

Point-of-sale cigarette pricing strategies and young adult smokers’ intention to purchase cigarettes: an online experiment, Tobacco Control
- In this online experiment, participants were more likely to purchase cigarettes when the retail environment offered cigarette price discounts. When fewer price tiers of cigarettes were available, participants were less likely to purchase cigarettes. In addition, when discounts were offered on high-tier cigarettes, young adults with higher levels of education were more likely to purchase cigarettes, whereas when discounts were offered on medium-tier cigarettes, young adults with less education were more likely to purchase cigarettes.
- Learn more about point of sale pricing policies, including minimum pricing policies that reduce price tiers and policies that prohibit price discounts.

Policy Evaluation

Brief report: Flavoured tobacco product restrictions in Massachusetts associated with reductions in adolescent cigarette and e-cigarette use, Tobacco Control
- This study found that in Massachusetts counties that implemented restrictions on the sale of flavored tobacco products, use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes decreased among adolescents, especially among those 14-18 years old.
Tobacco 21 adoption decreased sales of cigarette brands purchases by young people: a translation of population health survey data to gain insight into market data for policy analysis, Tobacco Control
- Across the United States, sales of cigarettes brands that are disproportionately smoked by people under 21 declined following the implementation of local and state “Tobacco 21” laws raising the minimum sales age for tobacco to 21 at local and state levels between January 2015 and October 2019.
- Learn more about Tobacco 21 laws.

Emerging Products

Nicotine pouch product awareness, interest and ever use among US adults who smoke, 2021, Tobacco Control
- “In early 2021, 29.2% of adults who smoked had ever seen or heard of nicotine pouches, 5.6% had ever tried pouches and 16.8% reported interest in using pouches in the next 6 months. Adults who smoked aged 18–44 years and those who had ever used smokeless tobacco (SLT) were more likely to be aware of nicotine pouches. Interest in using nicotine pouches was more prevalent among adult smokers who planned to quit within 6 months, attempted to quit before using counselling or another tobacco product and had ever used pouches. Among adults who smoked, those with more education had lower odds of ever using nicotine pouches while those who had attempted to quit before using traditional methods or ever used SLT had higher odds of ever use.”