Does the Impact of Tobacco Taxes Vary by Race and Gender? Taxes, Smoking, and Coronary Heart Disease Mortality in the United States, 2005-2016

21 Pages Posted: 8 Mar 2023

See all articles by Gregory Cohen

Gregory Cohen

Boston University - Boston University School of Public Health

Jacob Bor

Boston University - Department of Global Health

Katherine M. Keyes

Columbia University

Ryan T. Demmer

University of Minnesota - Minneapolis - School of Public Health

Steven Stellman

Harvard University - Department of Health Care Policy

Victor Puac-Polanco

Boston University - School of Public Health

Sandro Galea

Boston University

Abstract

Tobacco taxes have reduced smoking and CHD mortality, yet few studies have examined heterogeneity of these associations by race and gender. We constructed a yearly panel (2005-2016) that included age-adjusted cigarette smoking prevalence and CHD mortality rates across all 50 US States and the District of Columbia using the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and CDC’s Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiological Research. We examined associations between changes in total cigarette excise taxes (i.e., federal and state) and changes in smoking prevalence and CHD mortality, using linear regression models with state and year fixed effects. Each dollar of tobacco tax was associated with a reduction in age-adjusted smoking prevalence 1 year later of -0.4 [95% CIs: -0.6, -0.2] percentage points; and a relative reduction in the rate of CHD mortality 2 years later of -2.0% [95% CIs: -3.5%, -0.5%], or -5 deaths/100,000 in absolute terms. Associations for smoking prevalence were strongest among Black non-Hispanic women (-1.2 [95% CIs: -1.6, -0.8] percentage points), but did not differ by race and gender for CHD mortality. These findings suggest that tobacco taxation is an effective intervention for reducing smoking prevalence and CHD mortality among White and Black non-Hispanic populations in the United States.

Note:
Funding declaration: None

Conflicts of Interest: None

Ethical Approval: This study was approved by the Boston University Medical Center IRB under IRB# 39516.

Keywords: Smoking, Health Policy, tobacco control, Taxation, Racial Disparities, Coronary Heart Disease

Suggested Citation

Cohen, Gregory and Bor, Jacob and Keyes, Katherine M. and Demmer, Ryan T. and Stellman, Steven and Puac-Polanco, Victor and Galea, Sandro, Does the Impact of Tobacco Taxes Vary by Race and Gender? Taxes, Smoking, and Coronary Heart Disease Mortality in the United States, 2005-2016. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4360680 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4360680

Gregory Cohen (Contact Author)

Boston University - Boston University School of Public Health ( email )

Boston, MA
United States

Jacob Bor

Boston University - Department of Global Health ( email )

Katherine M. Keyes

Columbia University ( email )

3022 Broadway
New York, NY 10027
United States

Ryan T. Demmer

University of Minnesota - Minneapolis - School of Public Health ( email )

Steven Stellman

Harvard University - Department of Health Care Policy ( email )

Victor Puac-Polanco

Boston University - School of Public Health ( email )

Sandro Galea

Boston University ( email )

595 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02215
United States

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
21
Abstract Views
155
PlumX Metrics