Geospatial Associations Between Tobacco Retail Outlets and Current Use of Cigarettes and e-Cigarettes among Youths in Texas

Introduction To identify the geospatial association between the presence of tobacco retail outlets (TRO) around schools' neighborhoods, and current use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes among adolescents in four counties in Texas. Methods Students in grades 6, 8 and 10th were surveyed in their schools in 2014-2015. The schools' addresses was geocoded to determine the presence of at least one TRO within half a mile of the school. Two outcomes were considered: past 30-day use of (a) cigarettes and (b) e-cigarettes. Bayesian structured additive regression models and Kriging methods were used to estimate the geospatial associations between the presence of TRO and use in three counties: Dallas/Tarrant, Harris, and Travis. Results We observed a geospatial association between the presence of TRO around the schools and current use of cigarettes in the eastern area of Dallas County and in the southeastern area of Harris County. Also, a geospatial association between the presence of TRO around the schools and current use of e-cigarettes was observed in the entire Tarrant County and in the northeastern area of Harris County. Conclusions There were geospatial associations between the presence of TRO around some schools and cigarette/e-cigarette use among students, but this association was not consistent across all the counties. More research is needed to determine why some areas are at higher risk for this association.