The Impact of Tobacco Health and Welfare Surcharge on Smoking Behaviors in Adolescents in Taiwan

• Main Authors: Yi-HanHu, 胡藝瀚
• Other Authors: Shu-Chen Hu
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2012
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/46801259514087245937

碩士 === 國立成功大學 === 公共衛生研究所 === 100 === Background: Tobacco prices can have a great impact on smoking rates. Researches indicated that younger people were more vulnerable to the price than adults, and higher tobacco taxes can help reduce the smoking rates of youth. Although recent national data in Taiwan showed that the adult smoking rates has been decreasing in a steady trend, the youth smoking rate does not has this phenomenon. Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the effects of the tobacco health and welfare surcharge on youth smoking behaviors, including smoking rates, smoking amounts and source of cigarettes. Method: We used secondary data analysis. Data were obtained from” Taiwan national health interview survey, 2001 “and “Taiwan Youth Tobacco Survey, 2004、2005、2007 and 2008 “. All samples in the survey were nation-wided representative of Taiwan. Results: In junior high school students, tobacco health and welfare surcharge did not affect the smoking rates. However, in senior high school students smoking rates began to decline, when the tobacco health and welfare surcharge increased to NT$10 per pack. Regarding to the amount of cigarettes, the percentage of heavy smokers were decreasing in a rapid way in junior high school students after the tobacco health and welfare surcharge was firstly imposed. However, such impact did not happen in senior high school students. The percentage of heavy smokers did not change when the surcharge was imposed by NT$5 per pack, but when the surcharge was imposed to NT$ 10 per pack, the percentage of heavy smokers in high school students started to become flat. In addition, we found that raising tobacco price would cause a reduction of buying cigarettes themself in adolescents, especially for the junior high school students which decreased to 50%. Discussion: The effect of tobacco health and welfare surcharge on smoking behaviors differed between senior high and junior high school students. Since senior high school smokers were mostly moderate smokers, the effect of increasing tobacco price had significant impact on their smoking behaviors. However, no such effect was found in junior high school students. Probably because they were more experimental, which smoking behaviors were based on curiosity and lower cigarette price does not lead smoking rate decrease. In sum, we suggested that in addition to prevent youth started smoking, the tobacco tax should increase regularly. Also, future policy should focus on assisting experimental smokers to quit in order to avoid them to become regular smokers.