Counter Tobacco Podcast: Store Assessments
Store assessments are visits to retail tobacco stores to document and collect data on what tobacco products are being sold and how they are being marketed and promoted in your [...]
New FTC report on e-cigarette sales and marketing emphasizes importance of the retail environment
A new FTC report on data from 6 major e-cigarette companies show that retail stores account for most e-cigarette sales and marketing expenditure. It also shows the popularity of flavored [...]
How innovative technology aided public health during COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic invited technology innovation in order to help keep the public updated, and inform scientists, leaders, and public health departments as information changed rapidly and more people were [...]
Report: Surveying How the Tobacco Industry Markets Flavors in Five Midwestern Cities
A report from Counter Tools and Truth Initiative examines how flavored tobacco products are marketed and sold in 5 U.S. cities, with new data looking specifically at e-cigarette products. [...]
2020 Census Data show a more racially and ethnically diverse population
The overall racial and ethnic diversity of the country has increased since 2010, and the number of people who identify as multiracial increased significantly. We use census data in our [...]
New Minority Health SVI data available from the CDC and OMH
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health (DHHS OMH) have launched a new Minority Health Social Vulnerability [...]
Healthy POS Webinar Series: Alcohol at the POS – Places, Promotions, and Problems
We hosted a webinar in our "Healthy POS Webinar Series" on Thursday, June 17 at 11am EST. Our guest speaker was Dr. Pamela Trangenstein, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Health [...]
New FTC reports show the tobacco industry continues to focus on point of sale marketing
New reports from the Federal Trade Commission show that in 2019 the tobacco industry spent nearly $6.6 billion marketing and promoting cigarettes and smokeless tobacco at the point of sale. [...]
Announcing the 2021 Geographic Surveillance Learning Collaborative
The Geographic Health Equity Alliance and Counter Tools are excited to announce the second annual Geographic Surveillance Learning Collaborative for National Comprehensive Cancer Control and National Tobacco Control Programs. In this learning collaborative, teams from six participating states will each [...]
Addressing Health Disparities Through Alcohol Outlet Density
There are many ways the COVID-19 pandemic has changed our daily lives. One of many interesting public health observations is the impact of the pandemic on alcohol consumption. Thanks in [...]
Geographic Surveillance Learning Collaborative 2020 – Highlights from Tobacco Control Programs
The Geographic Health Equity Alliance (GHEA) and Counter Tools facilitated the inaugural Geographic Surveillance Learning Collaborative for National Tobacco Control Programs and National Comprehensive Cancer Control from May to September 2020. In order to participate, interested states were [...]
Considering social vulnerability and health equity in COVID-19 vaccine allocation
Health equity is being considered in discussions of vaccine allocation for perhaps the first time in our history. Official recommendations for vaccine distribution may include the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index [...]
Trust for America’s Health releases recommendations to address obesity crisis
Access to healthy food or safe places to be active is inconsistent across communities and research shows that socioeconomic factors including poverty and race/ethnicity contribute to an increased rate of [...]
Tobacco retailer density in 30 U.S. cities – ASPIRE and Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids share new findings
New research on tobacco retailer density finds that across 30 major US cities, 63% of public schools are located within 1,000 feet of a tobacco retailer. The data show there [...]
A look at COVID-19 as a time to quit smoking
As new data is continually being published about COVID-19 risk factors, a renewed call for quitting smoking has been sounded. With all of the news and reports on COVID-19, we [...]
New infographics – Compare your state’s FDA violation rates year over year
Here are infographic maps showing FDA state violation rates of tobacco product sales to minors including e-cig sales, looking at FY2019 compared to FY2018. We're pleased to announce that we [...]
A Study With Truth Initiative Shows That Youth Are Being Targeted With Tobacco Marketing
We partnered with Truth Initiative in 2018 to study tobacco marketing in two cities in the Tobacco Nation. A new form called fSTARS was developed to collect data focusing on [...]
Generally Unhealthy: A Look at National Chains Using Maps
Every morning, I scroll through LinkedIn’s Daily Rundown, an easy-to-digest recap of trending “professional news,” while enjoying my first sips of coffee. I don’t know if the content is tailored [...]
Big Data For Big Good
In this post, Anna Davidson, our Director of Product & Technology, reflects on Big Data and the Internet of Things, and how we can use them for good. While attending [...]
Getting to Know Your Place Using Data
Happy Thanksgiving! In this post, Project Director Marielle Matthews is ravenous for Census data. I’ve always been captivated by Census data. Attempting to count every person everywhere in the United [...]
