Neighbourhood tobacco retail access and tobacco use susceptibility in young adolescents in urban India.

Background Neighbourhood tobacco retail access may influence adolescent tobacco use. In India, we examined the association between neighbourhood tobacco retail access and cognitive risks for tobacco use during early adolescence. Methods In 2019–2020, a population-based sample (n=1759) of adolescents aged 13–15 years was surveyed from 52 neighbourhoods in Mumbai and Kolkata. Neighbourhood tobacco retail access was measured as the frequency of visits to tobacco retailers, mapped tobacco retailer density and perceived tobacco retailer density. We estimated associations between neighbourhood tobacco retail access and cognitive risks for tobacco use (perceived ease of access to tobacco, perceived peer tobacco use and intention to use tobacco). Results There was high neighbourhood tobacco retail access. Tobacco retailer density was higher in lower income neighbourhoods (p Conclusions Efforts to reduce neighbourhood tobacco retail access in India may reduce cognitive tobacco use risk factors in young adolescents. The frequency of tobacco retailer visits and perceived tobacco retailer density increased cognitive risks, though there were some exceptions in Kolkata that further research may explain.