Social Capital and Tobacco Retail Outlet Density: An Empirical Test of the Relationship

PURPOSE: To examine the relationship between tobacco outlet density and social capital. PARTICIPANTS: Parents of at least one teen (N = 2734) in a representative sample of US households with teens (ages 13-16). DESIGN: Population-based, cross-sectional survey of a web panel of adolescent-parent pairs matched with spatial data for address to characterize household neighborhoods. SETTING: US households identified by latitude and longitude with a 50-ft random shift. MEASURES: Perceived social capital (trust and informal social control as reported by parents), tobacco outlet density (retailers per land area in 1/2-mile buffer around each household), neighborhood demographics (derived from American Community Survey), and parent demographics. ANALYSIS: Multivariable regression examined the relationship between tobacco outlet density and social capital controlling for household buffer and individual-level covariates, including correlates of social capital. CONCLUSION: This study is the first we are aware of to find that social capital is related to tobacco outlet density. The results imply that individuals with low social capital may benefit from policies regulating tobacco outlet density and may benefit from policies that address neighborhood inequality by increasing social capital and reducing poverty.