Costs Of Tobacco Use Research Articles

Secondhand and Prenatal Tobacco Smoke Exposure

This Technical Report was retired November 2017. Secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS) exposure of children and their families causes significant morbidity and mortality. In their personal and professional roles, pediatricians have many opportunities to advocate for elimination of SHS exposure of children, to counsel tobacco users to quit, and to counsel children never to start. This report discusses the harms of tobacco use and SHS exposure, the extent and costs of tobacco use and SHS exposure, and the evidence that supports counseling and other clinical interventions in the cycle of tobacco use. Recommendations for future research, policy, and clinical practice change are discussed. To improve understanding and provide support for these activities, the harms of SHS exposure are discussed, effective ways to eliminate or reduce SHS exposure are presented, and policies that support a smoke-free environment are outlined.

Poverty, Tobacco, and Health: An Indian Scenario

Poverty and health have a two-way relationship. Poverty increases the vulnerability of people to disease, and sickness affects their income leading to poverty. Tobacco has been identified as a major avoidable cause of illness and premature death. In India, more than half of men and one-tenth of women use one or more forms of tobacco. Tobacco-use shows a clear and continual increase with decreasing wealth quintiles. Poor smokers, who are at a greater risk of illness, are also at a greater risk of not being treated or of falling into greater poverty if they seek treatment. Poor people spend money on tobacco that could be spent on food, shelter, education, and healthcare. These decisions can entrench families in an ongoing cycle of poverty and ill-health. The direct and indirect costs of tobacco-use are immense for national economy. This has positioned control of tobacco relevant in India's per suite to achieve the goals of poverty eradication and health for all.

Economic cost of tobacco use in India, 2004

Objective:To estimate the tobacco-attributable costs of diseases separately for smoked and smokeless tobacco use in India.Methods:The prevalence-based attributable-risk approach was used to estimate the economic cost of tobacco using healthcare...

Social cost of tobacco-related disease and best buys

Recent findings in social cost of tobacco for NSW For the financial year 1998–99, the social cost of tobacco use in NSW was estimated to be $6.6 billion. This figure includes the tangible costs of tobacco use (such as net labour costs to the workforce and household, health care costs and resources used in tobacco consumption) and intangible costs. The estimated intangible social costs of tobacco use is $4.79 billion, or 73% of total costs, and consists of loss of life resulting from the high level of premature mortality caused by smoking. The estimated direct health care cost is $476 million, which includes costs in the medical ($115 million), hospital ($147 million), nursing home ($147 million) and pharmaceutical ($67 million) sectors.

Premilitary Tobacco Use by Male Marine Corps Recruits

Recognizing both the medical and operational costs of tobacco use, the Department of Defense has made tobacco cessation a top health promotion priority. Military tobacco rates remain high, however, especially among younger personnel and, particularly, in the Marine Corps. Tobacco is prohibited during basic training, but relapse is common following boot camp graduation. The objective of this study was to determine patterns and prevalence of tobacco use among Marine Corps recruits before entering basic training. Over a period of 14 months, 15,689 graduating male recruits completed a survey of their preservice tobacco use. Approximately 81% reported having tried tobacco at least once and 57% were classified as at-risk users. Compared to their civilian peers, more recruits were daily users and many more used smokeless tobacco. Approximately 67% of users evidenced at least one indicator of dependence. There is a clear need for additional tobacco cessation efforts to target this high-risk population.

Family Physicians and Youth Tobacco-free Education: Outcomes of the Colorado Tar Wars Program

Tar Wars is a national school-based tobacco-free education program operated by the American Academy of Family Physicians. The Tar Wars lesson uses an interactive 45-min session taught by volunteer family physicians in 4th- and 5th-grade classrooms and focuses on the short-term image-based consequences of tobacco use. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of the Tar Wars program in Colorado with both quantitative and qualitative measures. Students participating in the quantitative evaluation were tested before and after a Tar Wars teaching session using a 14-question test covering the short-term and image-based consequences of tobacco use, cost of smoking, tobacco advertising, and social norms of tobacco use. Qualitative evaluation of the program included guided telephone interviews and focus groups with participating students, teachers, and presenters. Quantitative evaluation showed statistically significant improvement in correct responses for the 14 questions measured with an average increase in correct responses from 8.95 to 10.23. Three areas recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for youth tobacco prevention showed greater change in correct responses, including cost of smoking, truth of tobacco advertising, and peer norms of tobacco use. Qualitative evaluation found that the overall message of the session was well received, that previously known tobacco information was reinforced by its presentation in a novel format, and that new information learned included cost of smoking, truth of tobacco advertising, and peer norms of tobacco use. The Tar Wars lesson plan is effective in increasing students' understanding about the short-term consequences of tobacco use, cost of tobacco use, truth of tobacco advertising, and peer norms. Tar Wars meets the CDC guidelines as one component of effective comprehensive youth tobacco prevention.

Reducing the Gap between the Economic Costs of Tobacco and Funds for Tobacco Training in Schools of Public Health

Tobacco use costs approximately dollar 167 billion annually in the U.S., but few tobacco education opportunities are available in schools of public health. Reasons for the discrepancy between the costs of tobacco use and the creation of tobacco training opportunities have not been well explored. Based on the Behavioral Ecological Model, we present 10 recommendations for increasing tobacco training in schools of public health. Six recommendations focus on policy changes within the educational, legislative, and health care systems that influence funds for tobacco training, and four recommendations focus on strategies to mobilize key social groups that can advocate for change in tobacco control education and related policies. In addition, we present a model tobacco control curriculum to equip public health students with the skills needed to advocate for these recommended policy changes. Through concurrent changes in the ecological systems affecting tobacco control training, and through the collaborative action of legislators, the public, the media, and health professionals, tobacco control training can be moved to a higher priority in educational settings.

Cost of tobacco-related diseases, including passive smoking, in Hong Kong

Background: Costs of tobacco-related disease can be useful evidence to support tobacco control. In Hong Kong we now have locally derived data on the risks of smoking, including passive smoking....

Strategies for an effective youth counter-marketing program: recommendations from commercial marketing experts.

Intensive and sustained efforts to "counter-market" tobacco among teenagers are necessary to negate the "friendly familiarity" created by tobacco advertising and to communicate the true health and social costs of tobacco use. Counter-marketing campaigns should: highlight a tobacco-free lifestyle as the majority lifestyle of diverse and interesting individuals; explain the dangers of tobacco in a personal, emotional way; offer youth empowerment and control; use multiple voices, strategies, and executions; offer constructive alternatives to tobacco use; and portray smoking as unacceptable and undesirable for everyone. Counter-marketing activities should work in concert with other interventions to alter social norms regarding tobacco.

Smoking: a burden to patient and society

Smoking prevalence had been steadily decreasing in the United States until 1993 when the rate stabilized. In 1993 there were 46 million adult smokers, which represented 25% of adults aged 18 years and older. Between 1983 and 1993, smoking prevalence among white men declined from 34% to 27% and from 41% to 32% in black men. Smoking prevalence among women declined from 30% to 27%. Currently, smoking prevalence is still higher for men than women, 28% and 23% respectively. More than 70% of adults began their daily habit of smoking by the age of 18 years. The frequency of this habit is highest among Native Americans/Native Alaskans (39%) compared with that of other ethnic groups. It is interesting that smoking prevalence is highest among men who are high-school dropouts (42%). Our role as healthcare providers is clear. We must protect our patients and society from the consequences of smoking. But healthcare professionals must first lead by example. Although the frequency of smokers is decreasing in this segment of society, it was still 18% for RNs and 27% for licensed practical nurses in 1991. Among physicians, the frequency of smokers has decreased from 19% in 1976 to 3% in 1991. With respect to effects on human health and the costs of tobacco use, our direction, responsibility, and duty to our patients and society are very clear.

Health and social costs of tobacco use in Ontario, Canada, 1979 and 1988.

This study aimed to estimate the health and social costs of tobacco use in Ontario, Canada. This was a cost-benefit analysis based on cross sectional data in 1988, stratified by age and sex, using an attributable risk model. The total cost of the consequences of tobacco use in the society included those costs attributed to extra deaths, disability, hospitalisation, physician visits, and fire losses, from tobacco use. The general population of Ontario, Canada. The total cost of tobacco use in Ontario, Canada in 1988 was estimated to be $3.623 billion--$721 million more than the total customer expenditure on tobacco products. Tobacco use was also found to be responsible for 14% of all adult deaths, 5% of all adult disability days, 14% of all days of hospitalisation, and 3% of all physician visits. Compared with previous results for Ontario (1979) the cost of the consequences of tobacco use had increased by about 25% and consumer expenditure by about 35% over the period, while the excess of consequences over expenditure fell slightly by about 3%. The annual excess of the social costs of tobacco use over total consumer expenditure is staggering. It is suggested that similar cost-benefit analysis of smoking be carried out at regular intervals to monitor smoking trends in the society, to estimate health and social costs, and to provide information for the setting of targets for tobacco control and healthy public policies.

The human costs of tobacco use (2)

The human costs of tobacco use (2)

The Human Costs of Tobacco Use

It has been 30 years since the surgeon general of the United States released the first report of the Advisory Committee on Smoking and Health. In each of the subsequent reports, cigarette smoking has been identified as the most important source of preventable morbidity and premature mortality in the United States. A total of 418,690 deaths in the United States were attributed to smoking in 19901. That figure included approximately twice as many male as female smokers. Of the 2,148,000 U.S. residents who died in 1990, approximately half died of particular preventable causes2 (Table 1). The prominence of tobacco . . .

Towards a broader view of recovery

It is estimated that tobacco use accounts for 25% of the total economic cost of illness in America. Chemically dependent patients have a smoking rate that ranges from 80% to 95% in different studies, almost triple the national average. Despite these staggering statistics, only a handful of chemical dependency treatment programs treat nicotine as an addictive drug and actively encourage their patients to quit. Denial by treatment staff and fears in the Recovery community that Recovery would be jeopardized by quitting are two factors contributing to the reluctance to develop smoke-free programs and treat nicotine dependence. The fear that patients would refuse admission to a facility that prohibits smoking and resistance from staff who smoke appear to be the major barriers to adopting a smoke-free policy. The time has come to face the burdensome costs of tobacco use and to address nicotine dependence in chemical dependents. It is time to develop a broader view of Recovery.

Trends and issues in financing: payment for smoking cessation services

Impressive progress has been made in moving the tobacco issue to greater prominence on the health policy agenda. We are seeing renewed emphasis on tobacco education, greater commitment and tougher efforts to reduce access of minors to tobacco, more focus on the possible use of higher tobacco excise taxes, the classification this year by the US Environmental Protection Agency of environmental tobacco smoke as a Group A (known human) carcinogen, and the banning of smoking on the White House premises. These are welcome developments and hopeful harbingers of the prospects for future gains. Nonetheless, smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death in the US.1 Despite gains that have been made since the release of the landmark Surgeon General’s Report on Tobacco and Health in 1964, one in every five deaths is still attributable to tobacco, and even today tobacco use is practiced by more than one of every four adults.2 Moreover, trends show that increasing numbers of adolescents are beginning to smoke, with females and minorities disproportionately represented in these increases.3 Not only is the human cost of smoking high, but the economic costs of tobacco use are staggering. It has been estimated that the health consequences of tobacco use cost our country between $68 and $72 billion each year.4,5 While the national burden of tobacco use is so large as to be difficult to grasp, a more tangible way to look at the economic impact is through the fact that it averages out to a cost per smoker of approximately $3-4 per day. Ironically, the groups for whom title least progress is being made in the campaign against smoking – women and African-Americans – include those who can least afford the economic consequences. Related to both individual and national costs of smoking …