Retailers' Perceptions of FDA Tobacco Regulation Authority

Research is limited on tobacco retailers' perceptions of the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) tobacco regulatory authority overall, and less exists related to retailers in predominantly African-American or other racial/ethnic neighborhoods. We assessed differences in perceptions of the FDA's tobacco regulatory authority and barriers to compliance among retailers in African-American and non-African-American neighborhoods in Los Angeles, California.

Overall, 700 tobacco retailer interviews assessed demographic characteristics and perceptions of the FDA.

Retailers in African-American neighborhoods self-identified as Hispanic/Latino (43.9% vs 39.6% non-African-American), African-American (21.2% vs 2.6% non-African-American) or Asian (19.7% vs 19.5% non-African-American). Retailers in African-American neighborhoods were significantly less likely to perceive the FDA as a trustworthy source (p = .03; vs non-African-American), but more likely to report that they do not know the federal rules (p = .002), do not understand the federal rules (p = .004), and that tobacco companies encourage them not to follow the federal rules (p = .04).

Tobacco control agencies can use this information about retailer perceptions to design education/training materials in order to increase trust, mitigate barriers, and enhance compliance.