Grant Number:	1R01CA269848-01A1 Interpret this number
Primary Investigator:	Giovenco, Daniel
Organization:	Columbia University Health Sciences
Project Title:	Assessing the Impact, Equity, and Mechanisms of a Novel Policy Intervention to Reduce Tobacco Retailer Density in Communities
Fiscal Year:	2023

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Tobacco retailer density is disproportionately high in low-income communities and certain racial/ethnic enclaves, contributing to severe socioeconomic and social disparities in smoking and its resultant health harms. Local, environmental-level interventions that aim to reduce the number of tobacco retailers are a new policy frontier in tobacco control that may be particularly effective in promoting health equity, but the impact of these initiatives is critically understudied in real-world settings. Three major US cities – San Francisco, Philadelphia, and New York City (NYC) – recently enacted novel measures that establish caps on the number of tobacco retail licenses permitted in city districts. Density reduction under this intervention occurs not through license revocation, but gradually through retailer attrition. The effects of these “capping” policies on retailer density reduction and the resultant tobacco product marketplace largely depend on temporal, spatial, and store-level patterns in license forfeiture, which are not well-understood. Moreover, to comprehensively assess public health impact, it is critical to conduct stakeholder analyses after implementation, describe the policy’s impact on and mechanisms of behavior change, and identify potential unintended effects. The proposed mixed-methods, comparative case study will use archival tobacco retail licensing data, annual audits of tobacco retailers, semi-structured interviews with key community stakeholders, and geocoded health survey data to evaluate this intervention and examine differential policy impact across neighborhoods and population subgroups. Specifically, the project will: 1) Measure tobacco retailer density reduction and its association with community demographics across study sites; 2) Longitudinally characterize changes in the tobacco marketplace during policy implementation; 3) Qualitatively assess key stakeholder perceptions of the policy, its mechanisms of action, and its behavioral impact; and 4) Identify associations between tobacco retailer density reduction and smoking trends in NYC neighborhoods using a unique, annual population survey with geocoded respondent data. Given the lack of empirical support for this nascent, environmental-level tobacco control intervention, study results will provide timely, essential, and experiential evidence to inform equitable policy formation and improve implementation in order to maximize impact and reduce persistent health disparities.




Cross-promotion of nicotine pouches by leading cigarette brands.
Authors: Talbot E.M. , Giovenco D.P. , Grana R. , Hrywna M. , Ganz O. .
Source: Tobacco control, 2023 Jul; 32(4), p. 528-529.
EPub date: 2021-10-20.
PMID: 34670870
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Changes in Pack Features Among Top-Selling Cigarettes in the U.S., 2018 and 2021.
Authors: Giovenco D.P. , Ganz O. , Spillane T.E. , Easter A.G. , Wackowski O.A. , Villanti A.C. , Strasser A.A. , Delnevo C.D. .
Source: American journal of preventive medicine, 2023-06-07; , .
EPub date: 2023-06-07.
PMID: 37295659
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Natural American Spirit launches 'Sky', the brand's first commercial organic cigarette with a charcoal filter.
Authors: Pearson J. , Giovenco D.P. , Lewis M.J. , Moran M. , Ganz O. .
Source: Tobacco control, 2023 May; 32(3), p. 397-399.
EPub date: 2021-09-30.
PMID: 34593613
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Blowing the lid off: an analysis of interior cigarette pack features and marketing strategies.
Authors: Giovenco D.P. , Spillane T.E. , Lewis M.J. .
Source: Tobacco control, 2021 Sep; 30(5), p. 599-600.
EPub date: 2020-07-16.
PMID: 32675249
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Multi-level drivers of tobacco use and purchasing behaviors during COVID-19 "lockdown": A qualitative study in the United States.
Authors: Giovenco D.P. , Spillane T.E. , Maggi R.M. , Lee E.Y. , Philbin M.M. .
Source: The International journal on drug policy, 2021 Aug; 94, p. 103175.
EPub date: 2021-03-01.
PMID: 33662811
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Content analysis of instagram posts by leading cannabis vaporizer brands.
Authors: Spillane T.E. , Wong B.A. , Giovenco D.P. .
Source: Drug and alcohol dependence, 2021-01-01; 218, p. 108353.
EPub date: 2020-10-19.
PMID: 33109462
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Demographic and psychological moderators of the relationship between neighborhood cigarette advertising and current smoking in New York City.
Authors: Giovenco D.P. , Spillane T.E. , Baig S.A. , Dumas S.E. , Dongchung T.Y. , Sanderson M. , Sisti J.S. , Farley S.M. , Jasek J.P. , Seligson A.L. .
Source: Health & place, 2020 Nov; 66, p. 102441.
EPub date: 2020-09-15.
PMID: 32947186
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Behavioral heterogeneity among cigarette and e-cigarette dual-users and associations with future tobacco use: Findings from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study.
Authors: Baig S.A. , Giovenco D.P. .
Source: Addictive behaviors, 2020 May; 104, p. 106263.
EPub date: 2020-01-08.
PMID: 32028096
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Predictive Validity of Tobacco Product Advertising and Retail Availability.
Authors: Giovenco D.P. , Spillane T.E. , Delnevo C.D. .
Source: Tobacco regulatory science, 2019 Sep; 5(5), p. 440-446.
PMID: 31824986
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Different Smokes for Different Folks? E-Cigarettes and Tobacco Disparities.
Authors: Giovenco D.P. .
Source: American journal of public health, 2019 Sep; 109(9), p. 1162-1163.
PMID: 31390250
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Evaluating the impact and equity of a tobacco-free pharmacy law on retailer density in New York City neighbourhoods.
Authors: Giovenco D.P. , Spillane T.E. , Mauro C.M. , Hernández D. .
Source: Tobacco control, 2019 Sep; 28(5), p. 548-554.
EPub date: 2018-08-22.
PMID: 30135112
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Neighborhood Differences in Alternative Tobacco Product Availability and Advertising in New York City: Implications for Health Disparities.
Authors: Giovenco D.P. , Spillane T.E. , Merizier J.M. .
Source: Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, 2019-06-21; 21(7), p. 896-902.
PMID: 30452712
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Characteristics of storefront tobacco advertisements and differences by product type: A content analysis of retailers in New York City, USA.
Authors: Giovenco D.P. , Spillane T.E. , Wong B.A. , Wackowski O.A. .
Source: Preventive medicine, 2019 Jun; 123, p. 204-207.
EPub date: 2019-03-28.
PMID: 30930262
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Improving Efficiency in Mobile Data Collection for Place-Based Public Health Research.
Authors: Giovenco D.P. , Spillane T.E. .
Source: American journal of public health, 2019 Feb; 109(S2), p. S123-S125.
PMID: 30785801
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