Abstract
The aim of this paper was to estimate the number of premature deaths, years of potential productive life lost (YPPLL) and labour losses attributable to tobacco smoking due to premature death by gender for the Spanish population. The human capital approach was applied. Employment, gross wage and death data were obtained from the Spanish National Institute of Statistics. Relative risks of death due to cigarette smoking and former smoking were applied. The base case used an annual discount rate of 3% and an annual labour productivity growth rate of 1%. Univariate deterministic sensitivity analysis was performed on discount rates and labour productivity growth rates. Between 2002 and 2016, smoking was estimated to cause around 13,171–13,781 annual deaths in the population under 65 years of age (legal retirement age) in Spain. This increase was mostly due to female deaths. YPPLLs for females have increased over the years, while for males they have fallen markedly. Labour losses associated with smoking mortality ranged from €2269 million in 2002 to €1541 in 2016 (base year 2016). In fact, labour productivity losses have decreased over the years for men (−39.8%) but increased sharply for women (101.6%). The evolution of monetary value of lost productivity due to smoking mortality shows clearly differentiated trends by gender.
Highlights
Tobacco use imposes a very large public health burden worldwide [1]
The explanation may lie in the increase in the number of cases of the diseases included in the model for women over the years and, as noted above, in the increase in smoking prevalence among women aged 35–64
As the average age of death caused by tobacco use is low, smoking has a significant economic impact for society as a whole in terms of labour losses
Summary
Tobacco use imposes a very large public health burden worldwide [1]. In the European Union, it is the largest avoidable health risk and the most significant cause of premature death, accounting for over300,000 deaths per year [2]. According to the National Alcohol and Drugs Survey in Spain [4], in 2017 the highest prevalence for the previous 10 years was registered among men aged 15–34. For individuals aged to 64, the prevalence among men was the highest recorded since 2003, when 43.7% of men in this age group smoked tobacco daily. Regardless of sex and age, the survey showed an increase in the prevalence of daily tobacco use in 2017 compared with 2015. This increase is especially noticeable among men (increase of 4 points). Daily tobacco use among women aged 35 to 64 has shown a steady upward trend since 2013, reaching its highest point in the historical series in 2017
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