The impact of smoking and quitting on household expenditure patterns and medical care costs in China

Xin, Y., Qian, J., Xu, L., Tang, Shenglan, Gao, J. and Critchley, J. (2009) 'The impact of smoking and quitting on household expenditure patterns and medical care costs in China'. Tobacco Control, Vol 18, Issue 2, pp. 150-155.

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Abstract

Background: Smoking remains very common in Chinese men, and the economic burden caused by cigarette consumption on smokers and their families may be substantial. Using a large nationally representative household survey, the third National Health Services Survey (NHSS, 2003), we estimated the economic impact of smoking on households.
Methods: Smoking status of all household members (over 15 years) was collected by interview for the NHSS, and households classified into one of seven categories based on their smoking status. Information on household income and expenditure, and use of health services was also obtained. We assessed both the "direct'' costs (reducing funds available for spending on other commodities such as food, education, medical care, etc, using a fractional logit model), and "indirect costs'' (increasing medical expenditures, using a log-linear model).
Results: Every five packets of cigarettes consumed per capita per month reduces household spending on other commodities, most notably on education (by about 17 yuan per capita per annum) and medical care (11 yuan). The effects are greatest among low-income rural households. Households with quitters spend substantially more on medical care than never-smoking households (64 yuan for households with two or more quitters).
Conclusions: If a household member smokes, there is less money available for commodities such as education and medical care. Medical care expenditure is substantially higher among households with quitters, as ill-health is the main reason for quitting smoking in China. Smoking impoverishes a substantial number of poorer rural households.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Originally published as "Tobacco Control,18:150-155 doi:10.1136/tc.2008.026955"
Uncontrolled Keywords:	rural china urban china health tobacco consumption poverty economy tax
Subjects:	WA Public Health > WA 30 Socioeconomic factors in public health (General) WA Public Health > WA 20.5 Research (General) WA Public Health > Health Problems of Special Population Groups > WA 395 Health in developing countries
Digital Object Identifer (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1136/tc.2008.026955
Depositing User:	Faye Moody
Date Deposited:	23 Apr 2010 15:56
Last Modified:	07 Jun 2022 11:09
URI:	https://archive.lstmed.ac.uk/id/eprint/415

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