Multilevel Drivers of Sugar-Sweetened Beverage and Tobacco Consumption: A Spatial and Regulatory Frame-work for Cancer Prevention - Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and tobacco products are major contributors to public health burdens, in-creasing risks for cancer and other chronic diseases. Despite extensive public health efforts, the consumption of these products remains prevalent across the population, underscoring the need for more effective approaches to reduce the associated health burden. Current research often examines SSBs and tobacco in isolation, leaving significant gaps in understanding the behavioral, economic, and regulatory drivers that jointly influence the use. The research seeks to fill these knowledge gaps by examining the interactions between SSB and tobacco use through a comprehensive multi-level consumer behavior and regulatory framework. The research will analyze how individuals allocate income between SSBs and tobacco and assess how this allocation varies across con-sumer and household characteristics, including income, education, and geographic location. We will also evalu-ate spatial correlations between SSBs and tobacco products using geographic information systems (GIS) to map product prices and retail availability (e.g. store density) across geographic areas. This analysis will identify spa-tial patterns in product prices, retail availability, and other market conditions that may influence product use. The research will also evaluate the combined effects of pricing and retail market regulations, such as taxes and retail location restrictions, on the consumption of SSBs and tobacco products. To achieve these objectives, the re-search will leverage advanced methodologies, including demand system modeling, geospatial analysis, and vol-umetric choice modeling, while drawing on multiple data sources, including Nielsen Retail Scanner data, Ameri-can Community Survey (ACS) data, national health surveys (e.g. BRFSS), and experimental data collected through a Volumetric Choice Experiment (VCE) survey. During the R00 phase, we will build upon the findings from Aims 1 and 2 to design, conduct, and analyze a VCE that evaluates how coordinated pricing and retail market regulations influence SSB and tobacco consumption. The R00 phase will build on findings generated during the K99 phase to develop and implement an experimental survey that quantifies cross-product responses under alternative tax and regulatory scenarios. The research aligns with the NCI’s goals to advance cancer pre-vention through research-informed regulatory approaches, ultimately supporting the development of more effec-tive strategies to reduce the health burden associated with SSB and tobacco use and improve long-term health outcomes. The proposed training plan will equip the PI, who has a strong foundation in consumer behavior and econometrics, with advanced expertise in addiction research, spatial analysis, and regulatory evaluation. These skills will position the PI to conduct independent, high-impact research in tobacco and SSB regulatory science and public health, generating findings to support effective strategies for reducing the health burden associated with tobacco and SSB use and improving long-term health outcomes.
