State tobacco control spending and youth smoking.
OBJECTIVE
We examined the relationship between state-level tobacco control expenditures and youth smoking prevalence and cigarette consumption.


METHODS
We estimated a 2-part model of cigarette demand using data from the 1991 through 2000 nationally representative surveys of 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade students as part of the Monitoring the Future project.


RESULTS
We found that real per capita expenditures on tobacco control had a negative and significant impact on youth smoking prevalence and on the average number of cigarettes smoked by smokers.


CONCLUSIONS
Had states represented by the Monitoring the Future sample and the District of Columbia spent the minimum amount of money recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of smoking among youths would have been between 3.3% and 13.5% lower than the rate we observed over this period.
Tauras
John A
JA
Department of Economics (m/c 144), University of Illinois at Chicago, 601 South Morgan, Chicago, IL 60607-7121, USA. tauras@uic.edu
Chaloupka
Frank J
FJ
Farrelly
Matthew C
MC
Giovino
Gary A
GA
Wakefield
Melanie
M
Johnston
Lloyd D
LD
O'malley
Patrick M
PM
Kloska
Deborah D
DD
Pechacek
Terry F
TF
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000367:Age Factors; D005380:Financing, Government / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015995:Prevalence; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011049:Social Control Policies; D013219:State Government; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology