Retailers in low income communities sell high risk and cheap tobacco alternatives, whereas they advertise and sell low risk, non-combusted tobacco products in high income communities

‘Alternative tobacco products contain ‘combusted tobacco’ that possess greater health risks to the users.’

Using in-person store audits, the researchers collected data from a representative, randomly selected sample of nearly 800 tobacco retailers in New York City to document the availability and advertising of cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, and e-cigarettes at the point-of-sale. Analyses examined differences by store type and neighborhood demographics to uncover the potential relationship between alternative tobacco product promotion and health disparities. 




The availability of low-cost cigarillos was significantly greater in largely Black and low-income neighborhoods, with over two-thirds of retailers in these communities carrying the products.
Retailers in neighborhoods with the highest percentage of White residents were significantly more likely to carry e-cigarettes (66 percent) compared to retailers in neighborhoods with few White residents (24 percent).
Product advertising followed similar patterns. Although cigars and e-cigarettes were advertised at similar rates across the city (21 percent and 27 percent, respectively), advertising prevalence differed based on neighborhood racial/ethnic makeup. For example, cigar advertisements were more common in largely Black neighborhoods (31 percent), which were also the same neighborhoods least likely to advertise e-cigarettes (20 percent).
"These findings may reflect consumer demand, as retailers might be more likely to carry and promote products that their customers currently use," noted Giovenco. "Nonetheless, groups other than current users, such as susceptible nonusers and youth, are known to be influenced by product marketing. Although exposure to any type of tobacco promotion among these at-risk groups is concerning, the disproportionate marketing of the riskiest tobacco products in socially and economically disadvantaged communities is particularly troubling."
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