Tobacco availability publications

Since 2012, we have been involved in research examining the geographic density and location of tobacco retail outlets in WA.

Changes in the retail availability of vapes through brick-and-mortar vape stores and convenience stores in Western Australia following legislative reforms - Published 2025

Socioeconomic area disparities in tobacco retail outlet density: a Western Australian analysis | The Medical Journal of Australia - Published 2013

Vape stores in Western Australia: growth, proximity to schools and socio-economic gradient of density - Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health - Published 2024
This study replicated in previous research and was expanded to include vape stores.

Other research relating to tobacco retail environment:

Tobacco mythbusting—tobacco is not a major driver of foot traffic in low socio-economic small retail stores - *Tobacco Control.* Published 2021.

Current research

Evaluation of smoking cessation support at SCGH Cancer Centre

This research evaluates an initiative intended to deliver best-practice cessation support to patients at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital Cancer Centre. The initiative, a collaboration between Cancer Council WA and the Cancer Centre, provides extended access (up to eight weeks) of free nicotine replacement therapy to support patients to stop smoking and vaping.

Vapes4Sale: Policy-relevant monitoring of vape stores in WA (Phase 2)

Beyond the Burn – avenues to inform, prompt and support smoking and vaping cessation among people with burn injuries in Western Australia

The overall aim of this project is to investigate current smoking and vaping advice and cessation practices in healthcare for WA burns patients and identify ways to strengthen them. The four phases include:
Phase 1: Investigate the extent to which smoking/vaping status and advice and interventions for quitting are recorded in routine practice for WA adult burn patients.
Phase 2: Examine the frequency and severity of smoking/vaping-related adult burns and health outcomes, and the associations between smoking/vaping and burn recovery (particularly wounds healing), including hospital use (and associated costs).
Phase 3: Investigate staff confidence, practices and physical environment in regards supporting cessation; and, adult patient recall and experiences of cessation advice and cessation/minimisation attempts.
Phase 4: Develop strategies to strengthen routine identification of adult patient smoking/vaping status and provision of cessation support for WA patients in a burn care setting and more broadly in WA health

Past Research Projects

Pharmavape

There have been some significant changes over the last 2 years around the availablity and sale of vapes in Australia. PharmaVape is an action research collaborative study instigated by the University of Notre Dame Australia (UNDA) Home2Health team and Cancer Council Victoria and supported by Cancer Council WA.

The PharmaVape study is monitoring the availability of vapes through pharmacies in WA and nationally, and changes in this over time. It has ethics approval from the UNDA Human Research Ethics Committee.

The data collection is occurring across all states and territories of Australia and is being undertaken in waves. The first wave was completed in late September 2024, and examined at the availability of vapes in a sample of 286 pharmacies across the country prior to the Federal Therapeutic Goods and Other Legislation Amendment (Vaping Reforms) Bill 2024 taking effect on 1 October 2024. The second wave is occurring in November 2024, with the scheduling of further waves dependent on emerging findings. Variations by state/territory, socio-economic area differences, and type of pharmacy are being examined.

Home2Health Team has worked collaboratively with a number of organisations including Homeless Healthcare and Cancer Council WA to address high rates of tobacco consumption amongst people experiencing homelessness.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy