title: The influence of estimated retail tobacco sale price increase on smokers' smoking habit in Jiangxi province, China: a cross-sectional study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  China is the biggest tobacco producer and consumer in the world. Raising cigarette taxes and increasing tobacco retail prices have been prove as effective strategies to reduce tobacco consumption and the prevalence of smoking in western countries. But in China, it is uncertain how an increase of cigarette retail price will influence the tobacco consumption.
  
  
  METHODS
  From April to July, 2012, we selected 4025 residents over 15 years by a three stage random sampling in four cities, Jiangxi Province, China. We conducted interviews of their current smoking habits and how they would change their smoking behavior if tobacco retail prices increase.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, the prevalence of smoking is 27 % (47 % for male, 3.1 % for female). 15 % of smokers have tried to quit smoking in the past but all relapsed (168/1088), and over 50 % of current smokers do not want to quit, The average cigarette price per pack is 1.1 USD (range = 0.25-5.0). If retail cigarette prices increases by 50 %, 45 % of smokers say they will smoke fewer cigarettes, 20 % will change to cheaper brands and 5 % will attempt to quit smoking. Smokers who have intention to quit smoking are more sensitive to retail cigarette price increase. With retail cigarette price increases, more smokers will attempt to quit smoking.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Chinese smokers will change their smoking habits if tobacco retail prices increase. Consequently the Chinese government should enact tobacco laws which increase the retail cigarette price. The implementation of new tobacco laws could result in lowering the prevalence of smoking. Meanwhile, price increase measures need to apply to all cigarette brands to avoid smokers switching cigarettes to cheaper brands.
authors: Songjiang Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 1050, North Xilin Road, Songjiang District, Shanghai, P.R China.|China Field Epidemiology Training Program, Beijing, China.
authors: Ruiping
authors: R
authors: Wang
authors: Jiangxi Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanchang, China.
authors: Liping
authors: L
authors: Zhu
authors: Jiangxi Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanchang, China.
authors: Wei
authors: W
authors: Yan
authors: China Field Epidemiology Training Program, Beijing, China.
authors: Guang
authors: G
authors: Zeng
authors: China Field Epidemiology Training Program, Beijing, China.|Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA USA.
authors: Engelgau
authors: E
authors: Michael
keywords: Smoking habit change; Tobacco law legislation; Tobacco retail price increase