Tobacco Use: Interventions to Increase the Unit Price for Tobacco Products

CDC

An Evidence-Based Practice

Description

Interventions to increase the unit price for tobacco products include public policies at the federal, state, or local level that increase the purchase price per unit of sale. The most common policy approach is legislation to increase the excise tax on tobacco products, though legislative actions and regulatory decisions may also be used to levy fees on tobacco products at the point of sale. Other policies that might influence tobacco product prices were not considered in this review.

Results / Accomplishments

The Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF) recommends interventions that increase the unit price of tobacco products based on strong evidence of effectiveness in reducing tobacco use. Evidence is considered strong based on findings from studies demonstrating that increasing the price of tobacco products:

-Reduces the total amount of tobacco consumed
-Reduces the prevalence of tobacco use
-Increases the number of tobacco users who quit
-Reduces initiation of tobacco use among young people
-Reduces tobacco-related morbidity and mortality

Public health effects are proportional to the size of the price increase and the scale of implementation. Based on results of the review on which this recommendation is based, an intervention that increases the unit price for tobacco products by 20% would reduce overall consumption of tobacco products by 10.4%, prevalence of adult tobacco use by 3.6%, and initiation of tobacco use by young people by 8.6%. Evidence also indicates these interventions are effective in reducing tobacco-related disparities among income groups and may reduce disparities by race and ethnicity. Economic evidence shows that raising the unit price of tobacco products substantially reduces healthcare costs and in addition can reduce productivity losses.

About this Promising Practice

Primary Contact
The Community Guide
1600 Clifton Rd, NE
MS V25-5
Atlanta, GA 30329
(404) 498-1827
communityguide@cdc.gov
https://www.thecommunityguide.org/
Topics
Health / Tobacco Use
For more details
https://www.thecommunityguide.org/findings/tobacco...

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An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.