A study published last week in the American Journal of Public Health provides compelling new evidence that youth smoking can be significantly reduce by well-funded tobacco prevention programs, increasing the price of cigarettes through higher taxes and enacting strong smoke-free air laws.
The study found that, between 2002 and 2008, each of these measures separately contributed to declines in youth smoking in the US and together they reduced the number of youth smokers by about 220,000. The study also found that far greater gains could be achieved if all of these strategies were implemented, rather than one or two.
For example, the study found that a doubling of cigarette prices would reduce current youth smoking by 13%, the largest reduction among the policy interventions studied.
As in Australia, smoking is the number one cause of preventable death in the US.
The study assessed the associations between government policies to reduce tobacco use and youth smoking outcomes, focusing on young people aged 12 to 17.
It found that tobacco prevention programs, cigarette price increases and an expansion of smoke-free laws each contributed to declines in current youth smoking during the 2002-2008 period studied.
"Had the policies remained unchanged, the prevalence of current smoking nationally would have been 9.7% higher in 2008 than the actual rate,” the report states.
Tobacco use costs the United States $96 billion in health care bills each year. In Australia, 2009 estimates put the figure at around $31 billion – much more per capita than the US.
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