title: The impact of prices and taxes on the use of tobacco products in Latin America and the Caribbean.
abstract: We examined the impact of tobacco prices or taxes on tobacco use in Latin America and Caribbean countries. We searched MEDLINE, EconLit, LILACS, unpublished literature, 6 specialty journals, and reviewed references. We calculated pooled price elasticities using random-effects models. The 32 studies we examined found that cigarette prices have a negative and statistically significant effect on cigarette consumption. A change in price is associated with a less than proportional change in the quantity of cigarettes demanded. In most Latin American countries, own-price elasticity for cigarettes is likely below  -0.5  (pooled elasticities, short-run: -0.31; 95% confidence interval=-0.39, -0.24; long-run: -0.43; 95% CI=-0.51, -0.35). Tax increases effectively reduce cigarette use. Lack of studies using household- or individual-level data limits research's policy relevance.
authors.affiliation: G. Emmanuel Guindon is with the Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis and the Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton. Guillermo R. Paraje is with the Escuela de Negocios, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile. Frank J. Chaloupka is with the Department of Economics and the Institute for Health Research and Policy, University of Illinois, Chicago, and the US National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, MA.
authors.forename: G Emmanuel
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Guindon
authors.forename: Guillermo R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Paraje
authors.forename: Frank J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Chaloupka
mesh_terms: D017691:Caribbean Region / Q000453:epidemiology; D003132:Commerce / Q000191:economics; D016206:Databases, Bibliographic; D006801:Humans; D007843:Latin America / Q000453:epidemiology; D012907:Smoking / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D013660:Taxes / Q000191:economics; D062789:Tobacco Products / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data