Original quantitative researchAnalysis of the geographical accessibility of vapeshops in the vicinity of Quebec’s secondary and collegeeducational institutions

摘要

>Introduction: A significant proportion of secondary school students and young adults in Quebec have experimented with electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes). Both personal and environmental factors have been associated with the use of vaping products by youth. Geographical accessibility to the points of sale of these products may be one of these factors. The purpose of this study is to develop a profile of the spatial distribution of stores specializing in the sale of vaping products (vape shops) in the vicinity of secondary schools, colleges and CEGEPs in the province of Quebec.>Methods: We calculated the accessibility of businesses to account for geographical exposure. Analyses were conducted to provide a snapshot of the situation in Quebec and to identify associations between the characteristics of educational institutions and geographical accessibility to vape shops.>Results: A total of 299 vape shops were identified. Colleges are closer to a vape shop (median distance: 1.2 km) than are secondary schools (median distance: 2.3 km). Large private colleges located in urban areas are closer to specialized vape shops. Medium or large private secondary schools located in urban and more advantaged areas are also closer to a specialized vape shop.>Conclusion: This study is a step in developing an understanding of the location of vaping product shops and their geographical accessibility to young people. Important to consider is the geographical accessibility of young people to non-specialized shops that also sell e-cigarettes and then any potential connections between geographical accessibility to such non-specialized shops and the use of vaping products by young people. class="kwd-title">Keywords: electronic cigarette, e-cigarette, vaping, Geographic Information System (GIS), school, adolescents, young adultsHighlights class="unordered" style="list-style-type:disc">In Quebec, we identified 299 points of sale specializing in vaping products (vape shops).Colleges are closer to a vape shop (median distance: 1.2 km) than secondary schools (median distance: 2.3 km).Area deprivation was not associated with the access to points of sale near college-level institutions.Quebec students attending private educational institutions, both college and secondary schools, and institutions located in urban areas have greater geographical accessibility to shops specializing in vaping products. class="head no_bottom_margin" id="__sec6title">IntroductionExperimentation with electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) is widespread among secondary school students and young adults in Quebec. In 2014–2015, 27% of secondary school students in Quebec reported having used e-cigarettes in their lifetime, a proportion higher than in Canada overall (15% of students), and 8% reported having use them within the last 30 days. The same trends were observed in 2016–2017. Of all the 18–24 year olds in Quebec in 2015, 32% had used e-cigarettes in their lifetime and 8% had used them recently. Moreover, while the regular use of e-cigarettes among non-smoking adults over 35 years of age is a marginal phenomenon, a significant proportion of non-smokers among secondary school students use this product. Recent longitudinal studies suggest that e-cigarette use among non-smoking youth may be an additional risk factor for smoking initiation.-Both personal and environmental factors have been associated with the use of vaping products by young people. Some studies suggest that, like tobacco products, geographical accessibility to the point of sale of these products may be one of the factors associated with their use. Access to as well as visibility of tobacco products through points of sale have been associated with their use among youth., Some American studies suggest that the same could be true for vaping products.- Recent scientific investigations have focused on improving understanding of the spatial distribution of points of sale for vaping products in the USA,, particularly in the vicinity of educational institutions.-,,href="#B16" rid="B16" class=" bibr popnode tag_hotlink tag_tooltip" id="__tag_802143135">16 Two US studies examined the impact of the geographical accessibility of the points of sale of vaping products on their use. One of these studies included shops specializing in the sale of vaping products alone (vape shops),href="#B10" rid="B10" class=" bibr popnode tag_hotlink tag_tooltip" id="__tag_802143134">10,href="#B11" rid="B11" class=" bibr popnode tag_hotlink tag_tooltip" id="__tag_802143130">11 while the other included both vape shops and tobacco outlets that also sell e-cigarettes.href="#B12" rid="B12" class=" bibr popnode tag_hotlink tag_tooltip" id="__tag_802143109">12 Theresults of these analyses indicate a positiveassociation between greater availabilityin shops selling vaping products thatare near schools and the use of theseproducts by students.In Quebec as well as the rest of Canada,e-cigarettes are sold both in some nonspecializedshops (such as conveniencestores and gas stations) and in specializedshops (vape shops). In Quebec, points ofsale specializing in vaping products,which are not accessible to minors, areauthorized to display their products onlyindoors. However, since these shops remainvisible from the outside, frequent exposureto them could provide an incentivefor young people to use vaping products,for instance by increasing the perceptionof the accessibility of these products, afactor associated with e-cigarette useamong secondary school students inCanada.href="#B17" rid="B17" class=" bibr popnode tag_hotlink tag_tooltip" id="__tag_802143112">17 Little data is currently availableto capture this exposure in Quebec.Quebec organizations involved in tobaccocontrol and public health have alreadymentioned the lack of valid informationon the location of e-cigarette points ofsale.href="#B18" rid="B18" class=" bibr popnode">18,href="#B19" rid="B19" class=" bibr popnode">19An analysis of the spatial distribution ofspecialized vape shops that are in thevicinity of Quebec educational institutions(secondary schools and colleges / CEGEPs^{href="#fn1" rid="fn1" class=" fn">*})will provide a better understanding of thegeographical exposure of young peopleand young adults to the places wherethese products are sold. It will represent afirst step in the development of knowledgeon the geographical accessibility of youngpeople to shops selling vaping productsand the potential impact of this accessibilityon the use of these products. Ourarticle presents part of this analysis, whichwill be published in its entirety andavailable on the Institut national de santépublique du Québec website.href="#B20" rid="B20" class=" bibr popnode">20Documenting the presence of specializedvape shops that are in the vicinity of secondaryschools is important, as the schoolis the public place most frequented byadolescents. Colleges and CEGEPs are alsoattended by a significant proportion ofminors, and the young adults who studythere are also a priority for prevention oftobacco use in Quebec.href="#B21" rid="B21" class=" bibr popnode">21 Since November2017, these post-secondary institutions havebeen required to have adopted a policyaimed at creating smoke-free environments.^*General and vocational college.