https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/coph_policy_reports/1014/thumbnail.jp

Chen, Li-Wu

Larson, Jamie

Wehbi, Nizar K.

Wilson, Fernando A.

English

University of Nebraska Medical Center Research: DigitalCommons@UNMC

University of Nebraska Medical Center DigitalCommons@UNMC Reports: Center for Health Policy Center for Health Policy 2-2018 The Impact on Youth Smoking of Increasing the Cigarette Tax in Nebraska: An Update for 2018 Fernando A. Wilson University of Nebraska Medical Center, fernando.wilson@unmc.edu Nizar K. Wehbi University of Nebraska Medical Center, nizar.wehbi@unmc.edu Jamie Larson University of Nebraska Medical Center, jamie.larson@unmc.edu Li-Wu Chen University of Nebraska Medical Center, liwuchen@unmc.edu Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/coph_policy_reports  Part of the Public Health Commons Recommended Citation Wilson, Fernando A.; Wehbi, Nizar K.; Larson, Jamie; and Chen, Li-Wu, "The Impact on Youth Smoking of Increasing the Cigarette Tax in Nebraska: An Update for 2018" (2018). Reports: Center for Health Policy. 23. https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/coph_policy_reports/23 This Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Center for Health Policy at DigitalCommons@UNMC. It has been accepted for inclusion in Reports: Center for Health Policy by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UNMC. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@unmc.edu.  FACT SHEET The Impact on Youth Smoking of Increasing the Cigarette Tax in Nebraska: An Update for 2018    Fernando A. Wilson, PhD                                         February 2018   Nizar K. Wehbi, MD   Jamie Larson, MBA   Li-Wu Chen, PhD       Background Currently, the cigarette tax is 64 cents per pack in Nebraska compared to the national average of $1.72 per pack.1 In national rankings of cigarette excise taxes, Nebraska is ranked 41st (Table 1).1 Legislative Bill 1117 in the Nebraska Unicameral Legislature seeks to increase the cigarette excise tax by $1.50. This report updates prior research by Wilson and colleagues on the impact of increasing the tax on youth smoking in Nebraska.2 Self-Reported Smoking Among Youth We used data from the 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) to examine the percentage of youth aged 14-18 who report being smokers in the State of Nebraska. The YRBSS is an annual state survey of high school students.3 A youth is defined as a current smoker if he/she smoked on at least one day within the previous 30 days of the survey. Figure 1 indicates that the percentage of current smokers among youth in Nebraska increases substantially with age, rising from 3.6% at age 14 to 21.0% by age 18. Overall, our data suggest that nearly one-third (31.4%) of all youth in this age range have tried cigarettes at least once. Furthermore, 13.2% of youth aged 14-18 are current smokers.  Impact of Increasing the Cigarette Tax Following the methodology of Wilson et al(2015), we analyzed our data to predict the impact of increasing the excise tax on youth smoking.2 Prior research cited by the American Cancer Society estimates that a 10% increase in cigarette prices results in a 6% decrease in youth smoking rates.4-5 Based on this, our analysis predicts that an increase in the cigarette tax by $1.50 per pack will result in over 2,000 fewer high school students who smoke in Nebraska. Previous studies show that the average adult smoker first tried cigarettes at age 16.6 Thus, we anticipate that LB1117 will have significant benefits in reducing long-term cigarette use among youth in Nebraska.  Center for Health PolicyMission: The Center for Health Policy evaluates policies and conducts research to improve population health and the efficiency and effectiveness of the healthcare system in Nebraska and the United States.UNMC Center of Health Policy984350 Nebraska Medical CenterOmaha, NE 68198-4350http://www.unmc.edu/publichealth/chp/ FACT SHEET REFERENCES 1. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. State Cigarette Excise Tax Rates & Rankings. Available at: https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/assets/factsheets/0097.pdf. Accessed February 13, 2018. 2. Wilson FA, Larson J, Chen LW. The Economic Impact of Increasing Cigarette Taxes in  the State of Nebraska. Omaha, NE: College of Public Health; October 11, 2015. 3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS). Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/. Accessed February 13, 2018. 4. American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. Saving Lives, Saving Money. A state-by-state report on the health and economic impact of tobacco taxes. Available at: https://www.acscan.org/sites/default/files/docs/acscan-tobacco-taxes-report.pdf. Accessed February 13, 2018. 5. Chaloupka F, Tauras JA. The Impact of State Cigarette Excise Tax Increases on Cigarette Smoking, Cigarette Excise Tax Revenues, Smoking Attributable Deaths, and Related Health Care Costs. Prepared for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network; May 2011. 6. Wilson FA, Wehbi NK, Mosalpuria K, Chen LW. Raising the Minimum Legal Sales Age for Tobacco Products in Nebraska. Omaha, NE: Center for Health Policy; December 2016. AUTHOR INFORMATION Fernando A. Wilson, PhD, is Associate Professor in the Department of Health Services Research and Administration at the UNMC College of Public Health, and Acting Director of the UNMC Center for Health Policy.  Nizar K. Wehbi, MD, is Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Services Research and Administration at the UNMC College of Public Health, and Acting Deputy Director of the UNMC Center for Health Policy. Jamie Larson, MBA, is a graduate assistant in the Department of Health Services Research and Administration at the UNMC College of Public Health. Li-Wu Chen, PhD, is Professor and Chair of the Department of Health Services Research and Administration at the UNMC College of Public Health. FUNDING INFORMATION This policy brief was developed with in-kind support from the UNMC College of Public Health.  SUGGESTED CITATION Wilson FA, Wehbi NK, Larson J, Chen LW. The Impact on Youth Smoking of Increasing the Cigarette Tax in Nebraska: An Update. Omaha, NE: UNMC Center for Health Policy; 2018. CONFLICT OF INTERESTS None DISCLAIMER The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of collaborating organizations or funders, or of the Regents of the University of Nebraska.  CONTACT INFORMATION Fernando A. Wilson, PhD Acting Director UNMC Center for Health Policy 984350 Nebraska Medical Center Omaha, NE 68198-4350 fernando.wilson@unmc.edu http://www.unmc.edu/publichealth/chp/ 

The Impact on Youth Smoking of Increasing the Cigarette Tax in Nebraska: An Update for 2018

https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1014&amp;context=coph_policy_reports

The Impact on Youth Smoking of Increasing the Cigarette Tax in Nebraska: An Update for 2018

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