The Public Health Department obtained a tobacco retailer database prior to policy implementation from the California Board of Equalization and a local tobacco retailer permit database selleck chemical after policy implementation from the Santa Clara County Department of Environmental Health, which is the local tobacco retail permit administrative agency. Both databases were imported from Microsoft Excel 2007 into ArcGIS Version 9.1 (ESRI, Redlands, CA). The location of tobacco retailers was mapped and then
the total number of stores selling tobacco in unincorporated areas, the number of stores selling tobacco within 500 feet of another retailer, and within 1000 feet of a K–12 school before and after the passage of the ordinance were assessed. Change in youth exposure to tobacco products and advertising was evaluated based on these measures of tobacco retailer proximity and density. The tobacco retail environment survey is an observational survey administered annually by Santa Clara County Public Health Department LY294002 cell line staff to assess the level of compliance with current laws governing the sale of tobacco products and the amount of tobacco advertising displayed
in the retail environment. It was developed and tested by staff from the Santa Clara County Public Health Department in 2010 with input from the California Tobacco Control Program. Staff made unscheduled visits with each retailer and conducted on-site visual observations, measuring the percentage of windows covered with advertisement of any kind, counting the number of tobacco storefront advertisements, and noting compliance with tobacco sales laws, including proper display of tobacco license and required point of sale Stop Tobacco Access to Kids Enforcement warning signs. Each observational survey takes approximately
10–15 min to complete per retail location. Tobacco retail environment surveys were conducted among a simple random sample of 6 retailers in December 2010 prior to the ordinance implementation and then among all permitted retailers in unincorporated Santa Clara County in November–December 2011 after ordinance implementation. Data were entered science into Microsoft Access databases, exported into Microsoft Excel, and then imported into SPSS Version 20 (SPSS Corporation, Chicago, IL). The proportions for complying with tobacco sales, and display and advertising requirements were determined to examine differences between youth exposure to tobacco products and advertising before and after policy implementation. There had been no enforcement operations of retailers in the unincorporated county prior to the passage of the ordinance. After implementation of the ordinance, data was collected through a survey from the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office on enforcement operations concerning tobacco sales to minors in unincorporated Santa Clara County.