Australia: Smoke Sales Targeting The Poor

Source from:  Daily Telegraph/Sunday Telegraph (au)  12/19/2012

BLUE-collar areas of NSW are potentially being targeted by the tobacco industry, with research showing there are more retail tobacco outlets in areas of socio-economic disadvantage.

Cancer Institute NSW looked at the tobacco outlet density and areas of social disadvantage and found a link - revealing more tobacco retailers in these lower socio-economic areas.

 

According to the research paper, this suggests "outlet density may reflect a deliberate strategy by the tobacco industry" but researchers said further research was needed to see how these findings impact on smoking behaviours.

The study found the 10 areas with the most outlets were in rural or regional locations - with Oberon and Upper Lachlan areas topping the list.
 
In Sydney, Holroyd and Fairfield made the top 20, followed by Campbelltown, Botany Bay, Liverpool and Parramatta. The northern suburbs of Manly, Mosman and Pittwater were in the bottom 20 of the list.

The study looked at the number of tobacco retailers who reported selling tobacco products, which is compulsory under the Public Health (Tobacco) Act 2008, and made their findings by comparing data relative to the size of geographic population of those areas.
 
Cancer Institute NSW manager, cancer prevention, Anita Dessaix described the trend of more tobacco retailers in disadvantaged areas as "alarming".
 
"What we saw was tobacco outlets definitely concentrated in areas of higher disadvantage. It's the blue-collar areas and generally smoking rates are higher in blue-collar areas of NSW," Ms Dessaix said.
 
This may be a strategy tobacco companies use to foster continued smoking in these areas, she added.
 
"We know retailers do play an important role for the tobacco industry but we don't know what tactics are being employed by the tobacco industry," Ms Dessaix said.
 
"Research shows there's potential the tobacco industry, through retailers, are targeting blue-collar areas of NSW.
 
"It's important for the community to be aware that this tactic might exist."
 
In NSW, the current smoking rate among adults is 14.8 per cent. Enditem