ArticlePloS one2026
Mapping sources of chronic disease-promoting products in retail environments: An analysis of co-location patterns of alcohol, tobacco, and fast-food retailers.
Article in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveHigh densities of alcohol, tobacco, and fast-food retailers each pose increased risk of behaviors that contribute to chronic diseases. However, retail density studies typically examine only one type of retailer at a time. This study examines co-location patterns of alcohol, tobacco, and fast-food retailers in North Carolina, a geographically and demographically diverse US state.
methodsUsing 2021 data, we calculated tract-level density of each retailer type (retailers per 1,000 residents) and categorized tracts as "high density" (≥ 75th percentile) or not in each retailer type. We then determined the percentage of residents that lived in tracts high in one, two, three, or none of the retailer types. Additionally, using bivariate logistic regression, we examined the relationship between tracts' demographic composition and likelihood of being high in all retailer types.
resultsAmong individuals residing in areas with a high density of any retailer type (36.5% of the state's population), most lived in areas simultaneously high in alcohol, tobacco, and fast-food retailers (9.7%) - exceeding those who lived in areas high in only fast food (9%), only tobacco (4.6%), or only alcohol (3.6%). Areas with a higher percentage of residents below 150% of the federal poverty line, lower median household income, or a larger African American population were more likely to be high in all three retailer types simultaneously (all p < 0.05).
conclusionOur analysis revealed a substantial degree of co-location of alcohol, tobacco, and fast-food retailers, as well as important disparities in the demographic characteristics of the residents in areas where such retailers are more likely to co-locate. This analysis could be expanded to other states, providing insights into reinforcing retail-related risks for chronic diseases and health disparities nationwide.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.