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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Andrew Hyland, PhD¹, Qiang Li, MS¹, Cheryl Higbee¹, James Thrasher, PhD, MS², Frank Chaloupka, PhD³, Geoffrey T. Fong, PhD⁴, and K. Michael Cummings, PhD MPH⁵. (1) School of Public Health- Department of Epidemiology, State University of New York at Buffalo, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, 320 Carlton House, Buffalo, NY 14263, 585-395-5308, andrew.hyland@roswellpark.org, (2) Institute for Health Research & Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1741 West Roosevelt Road, Suite 558, Chicago, IL 60608, (3) Institute for Health Research and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1747 West Roosevelt Road, Chicago, IL 60608, (4) Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada, (5) Department of Health Behavior, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Division of Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences, Elm and Carlton Streets, Buffalo, NY 14263

Background: Increasing cigarette tax is an effective way to reduce cigarette consumption; however, smokers may seek low/untaxed cigarettes to save cost and to keep cigarette consumption.

Objectives: This study aims to examine the scope of tax avoidance behaviors in four countries (Canada, U.S., U.K., and Australia) and how these behaviors influence smoking cessation.

Methods: This study used data from the first four waves of International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Survey (ITCPES), a prospective tobacco use survey conducted in four countries. 10,290 smokers were first interviewed in 2002 and were asked to complete one telephone interview every year for a total of four survey waves. Cigarette purchase patterns and smoking behaviors were assessed in each survey.

Results: The rates of buying low/untaxed cigarettes in the last purchase were highest in the U.K. (15.3%) at baseline, followed by the United States (4.8%), Canada (3.1%), and Australia (0.7%). Smokers who bought low/untaxed cigarettes tended to be older, white race, and having higher income and education. Compared to smokers who paid full prices, smokers who bought low/untaxed cigarettes were less likely to make serious quit attempts by wave 2 (RR=0.70, p<0.01), while they had similar quit rates in the same time period. Updated analysis with data from two additional subsequent waves of data collection will be presented.

Conclusion: This study suggests low/untaxed cigarettes may influence smokers' attempts to quit. Further studies are needed to confirm the finding and to examine the long term effects on cessation.

Learning Objectives:

• To understand different pricing modalities for cigarettes in different countries.
• To learn who is more likely to purchase low/untaxed cigarettes.
• To examine the role of low/untaxed cigarettes on indicators of smoking cessation.

Keywords: Tobacco Taxation, International

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation