title: Cost savings associated with prohibiting smoking in U.S. subsidized housing.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Tobacco smoking in multiunit housing can lead to secondhand-smoke (SHS) exposure among nonsmokers, increased maintenance costs for units where smoking is permitted, and fire risks. During 2009-2010, approximately 7.1 million individuals lived in subsidized housing in the U.S., a large proportion of which were children, elderly, or disabled.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study calculated the annual economic costs to society that could be averted by prohibiting smoking in all U.S. subsidized housing.
  
  
  METHODS
  Estimated annual cost savings associated with SHS-related health care, renovation of units that permit smoking, and smoking-attributable fires in U.S. subsidized housing were calculated using residency estimates from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and previously reported national and state cost estimates for these indicators. When state estimates were used, a price deflator was applied to account for differential costs of living or pricing across states. Estimates were calculated overall and by cost type for all U.S. subsidized housing, as well as for public housing only. Data were obtained and analyzed between January and March 2011.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Prohibiting smoking in all U.S. subsidized housing would yield cost savings of approximately $521 million per year, including $341 million in SHS-related healthcare expenditures, $108 million in renovation expenses, and $72 million in smoking-attributable fire losses. Prohibiting smoking in U.S. public housing alone would yield cost savings of approximately $154 million per year.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Efforts to prohibit smoking in all U.S. subsidized housing would protect health and generate substantial cost savings to society.
authors.affiliation: Office on Smoking and Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Highway, MS K-50, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA. baking@cdc.gov
authors.forename: Brian A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: Richard M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Peck
authors.forename: Stephen D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Babb
mesh_terms: D017046:Cost Savings; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D011638:Public Housing; D012907:Smoking / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000191:economics / Q000517:prevention & control; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution