Date of Graduation

Summer 8-17-2016

Document Access

Project/Capstone - Global access

Degree Name

Master of Public Health (MPH)

College/School

School of Nursing and Health Professions

First Advisor

Courtney Keeler

Second Advisor

Dru Bhattacharya

Abstract

Overall smoking rates in California, and nationwide, have steadily declined since the first surgeon’s general report, in the 1960s, stated that tobacco may lead to cancer. In the past five years, the emergence of Electronic smoking devices or Electronic Nicotine Delivery System (ENDS), little cigarillos, vapes, and hookah have increased smoking rates among teenagers and young adults throughout California. The rise of smokeless tobacco products can be attributed to a variety of reasons from marketing, product availability, flavor availability, and public misconceptions. In 2016, the Santa Clara County Department of Public Health launched the Healthy Stores for a Healthy Community (HSHC) campaign through their Tobacco Free Communities program. This campaign, previously conducted in 2013, is a statewide campaign that assesses product availability and marketing of tobacco, alcohol, healthy/unhealthy food and beverages in local communities. While there are other important factors being observed, the main focus of HSHC is tobacco. The HSHC campaign essentially has three phases (1) Observational store surveys (2) Public Intercept Surveys (3) Key informant interviews. The observational surveys were conducted first, and there was a 66% completion rate in Santa Clara County, and as of August 12, 2016 there are 355 public intercept surveys completed. The key informant interviews will be conducted in fall 2016. The implications of this campaign can help create a healthier community for Santa Clara County through a healthier retail environment.

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