Econometric study of the role advertisements and employer-sponsored programs play in increasing consumer demand for smoking cessation treatment

The Foundation's Substance Abuse Policy Research Program was designed to provide support for investigators to conduct policy research on a variety of subjects directed at helping the country reduce the harm caused by substance abuse.Most previous health economics research has focused on individual consumer decisions about smoking. This study will broaden the focus to consider two sets of outside influences on demand for cessation treatment that are potentially large: smoking cessation product advertisements and employer-sponsored smoking cessation programs. This research will explore synergies between public-sector tobacco policies and the private-sector responses of pharmaceutical firms and employers to assess the extent to which private-sector responses magnify the impact of tobacco control policies. Specifically, this research will describe consumer exposure to smoking cessation product advertisements and how advertising exposure varies across low-income and minority populations, as well as estimate the impact of advertising exposure on smoking cessation decisions in general and in low-income and minority populations. In addition, it will describe the availability of employer-offered smoking cessation programs and how program availability varies across low-income and minority populations, as well as estimate the impact of employer-offered smoking cessation programs on smoking cessation decisions in general and in low-income and minority populations. Lastly, the study will estimate the impact of tobacco control policies on both advertising and employer-sponsored smoking cessation programs, testing the hypothesis that advertisers respond to tobacco control policies by advertising more heavily and that employers respond by offering smoking cessation programs.

Grant Details

Amount Awarded $99,999.00

Awarded on: 7/16/2008

Time frame: 8/1/2008 - 7/31/2009

Grant Number: 64751