Healthy Stores, Healthy Communities

The goal of Healthy Stores, Healthy Communities is to reposition tobacco outlets as a venue not only for promoting healthy food options, but also for facilitating physical activity. An integrated community assessment approach will simultaneously address major behavioral cancer risk factors of tobacco use, diet, and physical activity. Objectives are to identify all tobacco retailers in three counties and to map the tobacco retailers, parks, physical activity facilities, and schools. The density of stores and their proximity to schools and parks will be examined, and any racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities identified. The amount of tobacco and food marketing and products at stores in each county, and locations with high concentrations of tobacco marketing, junk food, and street locations that fail to support activity will also be identified. Study findings will be shared with local community groups to create healthier stores and communities.