US: Tobacco Retailers More Prevalent in Low-income Neighborhoods

Source from:  The Journal News 04/23/2013

A state study released Monday shows that tobacco retailers are more prevalent in neighborhoods with higher proportions of minority and low-income New Yorkers.

The report from the state Department of Health examined the relationship between demographics such as communities' income, racial makeup and average age with the density of tobacco retailers. The results, shown statewide and within several cities, indicated that communities with higher proportions of black and Hispanic people and with lower incomes generally had more tobacco retailers.

"The fact that tobacco marketing is more likely to take place in areas where minority and low-income New Yorkers live is especially concerning as these groups may be particularly vulnerable to industry practices that recruit new smokers, as demonstrated by their higher tobacco use rates," Yvonne Graham, a health department director, said in a statement.

The report, first published last month in the journal "Public Health," looked at the New York City area and upstate, as well as, specifically, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and the Capital Region.

In the New York City area, which included Westchester County and Long Island, where minority populations are the highest, there was the highest density of tobacco retailers. In those areas, where about 20 percent of the population is black and 22 percent is Hispanic, there were 2.97 retailers per 10 kilometers of roadway. The median household income, though, is $51,125, higher than the state's median, $47,773.

In Buffalo, there were 0.95 retailers, and in Rochester, 0.9 retailers, per 10 kilometers of roadway. About 13 percent of both cities' population is black. Buffalo is about 3 percent Hispanic; Rochester is 5 percent.

Buffalo's median income was $38,752, the lowest of the areas studied, and Rochester's was $43,880.

Statewide, where about 15 percent of the population is black and 15 percent is Hispanic, there were 0.79 tobacco retailers per 10 kilometers of roadway.

"These findings are consistent with previous studies that showed higher tobacco retailer density in poor and minority communities, which also tend to have more shops that sell alcohol, more fast food restaurants and fewer parks and other recreational facilities," the report said. "Higher tobacco retailer density, therefore, is part of a larger social pattern that places disadvantaged communities at greater risk for health problems."

Blair Horner, vice president for advocacy for the American Cancer Society of New York and New Jersey, said the report echoes studies that show lower-income people are more likely to smoke.

"And the tobacco industry knows that, so they prey on low-income New Yorkers and Americans to try to get them hooked on their deadly products," Horner said. "It underscores the need for the state to be spending more money on tobacco control programs."

The health department highlighted in a news release its five-year plan, starting this year, to promote smoking cessation, especially among low-income New Yorkers or those with poor mental health.

The state is aiming to decrease cigarette smoking prevalence among adults from 18.4 percent in 2011 to 15 percent by 2017.

The state will also try to reduce income disparity in smoking, decreasing the prevalence of smoking among adults with incomes less than $25,000 from 28.5 percent in 2011 to 20 percent in 2017.

The report comes as New York City just proposed raising the legal age for using tobacco from 18 to 21 -- the highest smoking age of a major city in the U.S. Enditem