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Abstract #149213

Jennifer Cantrell, MPA, Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, 722 W. 168th Street, Suite 947, New York, NY 10032, 212-305-3613, mjc68@columbia.edu, Dorothy Hung, PhD, MA, MPH, Dept. of Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, 722 W. 168th Street, Suite 942, New York, NY 10032, Donna R. Shelley, MD, MPH, Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, 722 West 168th Street, Rm 929, New York, NY 10032, Marianne Fahs, PhD, MPH, Brookdale Center on Aging, Hunter College of the City University of New York, 425 East 25th Street, 13th Floor North, New York, NY NY, and Rajeev Yernini, MS, Urban Public Health, Hunter College City University of New York, 425 East 25th Street, 13th Floor, New York, NY 10010.

Tobacco taxes are one of the most effective policy interventions to reduce tobacco use. Tax avoidance, however, lessens the public health benefits of higher-priced cigarettes. Few studies examine responses to cigarette tax policies, particularly among high-risk minority populations. The present study examines the prevalence and correlates of tax avoidance and changes in smoking behaviors among Chinese-American smokers in New York City (NYC) after a large tax increase. Data for 614 male smokers were from in-person and telephone interviews using a comprehensive household-based survey conducted with 2,537 adults aged 18-74 years. Interviews were conducted in Mandarin, Cantonese, and other Chinese dialects. A total of 52.3% of respondents reported engaging in at least one low or no-tax strategy after the NYC and State tax increases. The most common strategies for tax avoidance were purchasing cigarettes from a private supplier/importer and purchasing duty free/overseas. Higher consumption, younger age, and number of years in the U.S. were consistently associated with engaging in tax avoidance. Younger and heavier continuing smokers were less likely to make a change in smoking behavior in response to the tax increase. Despite high levels of tax avoidance and varying prices, nearly half of continuing smokers made a positive change in their smoking behavior after the tax increase. Expanded legislation and enforcement must be directed toward minimizing the availability of legal and illegal low or no-tax cigarette outlets. Public education and cessation assistance customized for the Chinese-American community is key to maximizing the effectiveness of tobacco tax policies among this population.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the prevalence and patterns of tax avoidance among Chinese-American smokers after tobacco tax increases.
• Describe the correlates of smoking behavior change in response to tobacco tax increases among Chinese Americans.
• Discuss two sets of strategies focused on enhanced enforcement and customized cessation assistance and education that will maximize the benefit of tobacco tax policies among Chinese-American populations.

Keywords: Tobacco Policy, Minority Research

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.