California’s Tobacco Control Program requires that all funded health departments complete a community engagement process every 4-5 years to inform their future scope of commercial tobacco-related policy work. To report back during their community engagement meeting presentations, San Francisco’s Tobacco Free Project required external support for their quantitative analysis of the city’s commercial tobacco-related data, so they hired Facente Consulting for assistance.
Facente Consulting analyzed datasets from the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) and the Healthy Stores Healthy Communities (HSHC) Survey. Using crosstabs and statistical tests, we analyzed key variables of interest in San Francisco, such as demographics of people who use commercial tobacco, exposure to secondhand smoke and vapor, and location of stores with price promotions on commercial tobacco products. At the end of the project, Facente Consulting delivered summary findings from the CHIS and HSHC data analysis in tables and written format, along with a map demonstrating geographic disparities in stores offering commercial tobacco price promotions in San Francisco. The findings were used by the Tobacco Free Project and another partnering consultant hired by the San Francisco Department of Public Health to give an accurate picture of the state of commercial tobacco in San Francisco during community engagement meetings.