The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #70425

Michael Lee Ganz, PhD, MS, Maternal & Child Health, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Kresge 615, Boston, MA 02115, 617-432-2382, mganz@hsph.harvard.edu

Smoking is the most preventable cause of morbidity and premature mortality in the US. Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is dangerous and costly as well. Despite the increasing evidence of its harmful effects, especially on children, many still smoke. About 43% of children are exposed to ETS. Policies to encouraging quitting need strengthening. Increasing cigarette prices is effective but not an instrument available to employers, insurers, or families. Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is one possible route. Recent analyses have shown that decreases in the price of NRT would encourage its use, thus reducing the number of children exposed to ETS. The goal of this project is to estimate the economic burden of ETS on children in order to aid in the policy analysis around NRT and other methods to encourage quitting. Substantial work has already documented the adverse health and behavioral effects resulting from at-home ETS exposure on children and the resulting economic consequences. My work departs from previous work by estimating who bears the burden of the increased costs (families, private, or public insurance). I link the 1995 National Health Interview Survey and 1996 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey and estimate reduced form multiple regression equations to derive adjusted mean utilization and expenditure levels for children living with an adult smoker compared to those who do not. Healthcare utilization and expenditures will also be tabulated and analyzed by insurance status and by source of payments.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the appropriateness of and applicability of using health behavior and utilization survey data to estimate prevalence and costs of children exposed to cigarette smoke.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.