Surveillance of tobacco retail density in Beirut, Lebanon using electronic tablet technology

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Ramzi G. Salloum, University of South Carolina; Rima T. Nakkash, American University of Beirut; Allison E. Myers, University of North Carolina; Jan M. Eberth, University of South Carolina; Kathryn Wood, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2014-02-17
• Publisher: BioMed Central
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2014 Salloum et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1617-9625-12-3
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Tobacco Induced Diseases
• ISSN: 2070-7266
• Volume: 12
• Issue: 1
• Start Page: 3
• End Page: 3
• Grant/Funding Information: Dr. Salloum was supported by the Cancer Care Quality Training Program from the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health under [grant R25 CA116339].
• Keywords: Public, Environmental & Occupational Health; PROMOTION; Science & Technology; SMOKING; OUTLETS; Substance Abuse; MARKETING RESTRICTIONS; Life Sciences & Biomedicine
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Epidemiology; Health Sciences, Public Health

Abstract

Background: Lebanon has alarmingly high rates of tobacco use. The objective of this study is to examine the density of tobacco retail outlets and distance to schools as well as to survey retail pricing in a large district of Beirut, Lebanon. Findings. We observed 100 tobacco retail outlets and collected data using iPad® technology. Store locations were recorded with Global Positioning System coordinates. The distances between all pairs of tobacco retail outlets and all schools were calculated. For 52% of tobacco outlets, the nearest distance to other tobacco retail outlets was < 50 meters and 17% were within a 100-meter radius of a school. We found a high proportion of tobacco retailers with close proximity to schools. The overall retailer density was 1.25 stores per 1,000 people. Conclusions: These findings call for additional regulation including the establishment of strict density standards.