Abstract
Background: Evidence suggests that following major individual health shocks, smokers change their smoking behaviors. However, little is known about the association between spousal health shocks and smoking. This study examined the contemporaneous and long-term effects of individual and spousal health shocks on males’ smoking behaviors in China. Methods: This study employed a nation-wide data base from the 1991–2011 China Health and Nutrition Study. Random effects models were estimated to ascertain the impacts of health shocks on males’ smoking behavior. Smoking behaviors were measured by smoking status, smoking consumption and smoking cessation. Results: In the short term, respondents who incurred health shocks decreased their likelihood of smoking by 10%. In addition, health shocks decreased the likelihood of heavy smoking versus the combined moderate and light categories by 41.6%, and increased their likelihood of quitting by 85.3% for ever smokers. Spousal health shocks had no significant effects on individual smoking behaviors. The long-term effects were similar to the short term impacts. Conclusions: People changed their smoking behaviors in response to their own health experiences but not those of their spouses. Antismoking messages about the health effects on others are unlikely to influence individual smoking behaviors, unless individuals believed that they are personally vulnerable to smoking-related diseases.
Highlights
The tobacco epidemic has assumed pandemic proportions, with approximately 1.3 billion tobacco users and 6 million annual deaths from tobacco use
Individual health shocks were significantly associated with reduced smoking behaviors in the short-term period
Using data from China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) 1991–2011, this study examined the effects of individual and spousal health shocks on smoking behaviors among China’s male population
Summary
The tobacco epidemic has assumed pandemic proportions, with approximately 1.3 billion tobacco users and 6 million annual deaths from tobacco use. China has one-third of the world’s smokers, and more than 700 million people regularly exposed to second-hand smoke. In view of the high health risks resulting from smoking in China, tobacco use causes many heads of household (especially in low-income families) to incur death or disability, impoverishing these families [4]. Evidence suggests that following major individual health shocks, smokers change their smoking behaviors. This study examined the contemporaneous and long-term effects of individual and spousal health shocks on males’ smoking behaviors in China. Random effects models were estimated to ascertain the impacts of health shocks on males’ smoking behavior. Results: In the short term, respondents who incurred health shocks decreased their likelihood of smoking by 10%. Spousal health shocks had no significant effects on individual smoking behaviors. The long-term effects were similar to the short term impacts
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