title: Cigarette price-minimization strategies by U.S. smokers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Smokers may react to cigarette excise tax increases by engaging in price-minimization strategies (i.e., finding ways to reduce the cost of cigarette smoking) rather than by quitting or reducing their cigarette use, thereby reducing the public health benefits of such tax increases.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the state and national prevalence of five common cigarette price-minimization strategies and the size of price reductions obtained from these strategies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using data from the 2009-2010 National Adult Tobacco Survey, the prevalence of five common price-minimization strategies by type of strategy and by smoker's cigarette consumption level were estimated. The price reductions associated with these price-minimization strategies also were evaluated. Analyses took place in November 2012.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Approximately 55.4% of U.S. adult smokers used at least one of five price-minimization strategies in the previous year, with an average reduction of $1.27 per pack (22.0%). Results varied widely by state.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cigarette price-minimization strategies are practiced widely among current smokers, and resulting price reductions are relatively large. Policies that decrease opportunities to effectively apply cigarette price-minimization strategies would increase the public health gains of cigarette excise tax increases.
authors.affiliation: Office on Smoking and Health, CDC, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA. xinxu@cdc.gov
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Michael F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Pesko
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Tynan
authors.forename: Robert B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Gerzoff
authors.forename: Ann M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Malarcher
authors.forename: Terry F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Pechacek
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017046:Cost Savings / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D012907:Smoking / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology; D013660:Taxes; D062789:Tobacco Products / Q000191:economics*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology