ASPO Abstracts
Associations between Tobacco Retail Outlet Density and Cotinine Levels in Mothers and Children
Category: Behavioral Science & Health Communication, Lifestyles Behavior, Energy Balance & Chemoprevention
Conference Year: 2018
Abstract Body:
Pregnant women and children are particularly vulnerable to tobacco smoke exposure, which has been associated with a myriad of adverse health effects, including chronic disease such as cancer, and lung and heart disease. One potential means of reducing the health burdens associated with tobacco smoke exposure is to reduce the availability of tobacco products by regulating the number, type, and location of tobacco product retailers. Previous studies have found an association between the density of tobacco retail outlets (TROs) and smoking behavior, including higher incidence of lapse and relapse among adults and increased adolescent smoking. Yet, the extent to which TROs relate to objective measures of smoke exposure has not yet been examined. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between TRO density and biochemically verified exposure to tobacco smoke among women and children. Participant data was obtained from the Newborn Epigenetic STudy (NEST), a prospective pre-birth cohort of women and their children located in the southeastern United States. Cotinine was measured from plasma blood samples provided by women during pregnancy (n=610), and saliva samples from their children (n=235; mean age=5 years). Cotinine values were ln transformed. TRO density was calculated using kernel density estimation of a point process with a Gaussian kernel function and estimated bandwidth from TRO points (n=269) within Durham County, North Carolina. Linear regression models were used to estimate the association between TRO density and cotinine values within mothers and children, separately. There was a significant, positive relationship between TRO density and cotinine values (standardized β=0.45, p-value<0.001) among mothers. A similar relationship was found for children (standardized β=0.30, p-value<0.001). This is the first study to establish an association between TRO density and biomarkers of smoke exposure measured quantitatively. Results suggest that restricting TRO density may help to reduce tobacco smoke exposure and thereby possibly reducing the negative health effects among women and children.
Keywords: tobacco retail outlet, cotinine, women, children