Investigating the spatial and temporal variation of vape retailer provision in New Zealand: A cross-sectional and nationwide study

Smoking rates have decreased in Aotearoa New Zealand in recent years however, vaping has shown a dramatic upward trend especially among young people; up to 10% of young New Zealanders are now regular vapers. Importantly, the long-term health consequences for their future life are largely unknown. The accessibility of vape retailers is important, particularly in relation to the youths’ daily activities and places such as schools where they spend a considerable amount of time and socialise. Despite this, we know little about the spatial patterning of vape retailers and even less of their socio-spatial patterning around schools. This ecological study utilised data from the New Zealand Specialist Vape Retailers register on nationwide vape retailer locations and combined them with whole-population sociodemographic characteristics and primary and secondary school data. We identified the prevalence of vape retailers and their spatial distribution by area-level deprivation, ethnicity and urban-rural classification by using descriptive statistics and (spatial) statistical modelling on the area-, school- and individual students-level (using disaggregated data on students). We found that almost 97% of all vape retailers are located within 1,600m (∼20-min walk) and 29% within 400m (∼5-min walk) of schools. Our research also identified increasing inequities by deprivation and ethnicity both for the overall population and particularly for students in the most deprived areas who experience a disproportionate presence and increase of new vape store retailers that disadvantage schools and students in these areas. This difference was particularly prominent for Pasifika populations in major urban environments.