News | Global Study Finds Higher Tobacco Taxes Could Save More Than 180,000 Newborn Lives
In the first global analysis of its kind, researchers estimated that about 182,000 neonatal deaths could have been prevented in 2018 if every country had fully implemented the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation that tobacco tax account for more than 75% of the retail price.
The study was jointly conducted by Imperial College London and Erasmus MC in Rotterdam and published in PLOS Global Public Health. It noted that smoking harms children's health in several ways: smoking during pregnancy can cause premature birth, while secondhand smoke exposure after birth may contribute to asthma and other lung diseases. Parental smoking can also affect parents' health and finances, indirectly reducing children's access to nutrition, medical care, and opportunities for survival.
The combined data analysis showed that full implementation of the WHO-recommended tobacco tax level in 2018 could have prevented about 231,000 deaths among infants under age 1 worldwide, approximately 79% of them in the neonatal period, or within 28 days of birth. Most of these preventable deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
Low- and Middle-Income Countries Are the Priority for Intervention
The study emphasized that tobacco tax reform has the greatest potential to improve health in LMICs. In 2018, only 14% of the global population lived in countries where tobacco taxes met the WHO recommendation. The figure was just 11% in LMICs, compared with 42% in high-income countries.
From 2008 to 2018, LMICs had an average neonatal mortality rate of 19 deaths per 1,000 live births and an infant mortality rate of 33 per 1,000, far higher than the respective rates of 4 and 6 per 1,000 in high-income countries.
The study found that each 10% increase in tobacco tax, corresponding to a 10% increase in the retail price of cigarettes, was associated with a 2.6% decrease in global neonatal mortality and a 1.9% decrease in mortality among infants under age 1. This could have saved about 78,000 infant lives worldwide in 2018, including approximately 64,000 newborns.
Changes to All Types of Tax Benefit Child Survival
The researchers also examined how different tobacco taxes, including excise tax, value-added tax, and import duties, affected infant mortality. Regardless of the tax type, higher tobacco taxes were significantly associated with improved infant survival.
The research team noted, however, that the study did not include actual retail prices for tobacco products and therefore could not account for tobacco companies lowering prices or offering promotions to offset some of the tax. The study also covered only cigarette taxes, not other tobacco products.
Global Link Between Smoking and Child Mortality Quantified for the First Time
"Our study is the first to quantify the relationship between tobacco tax policies and neonatal and infant mortality from a global perspective."
—Dr. Anthony Laverty, joint lead author, School of Public Health, Imperial College London
Dr. Laverty said, "Raising tobacco taxes is one of the most effective tobacco-control measures. Previous studies, however, have focused mainly on high-income countries or adults. Our study is the first to show that higher tobacco taxes can produce significant child health benefits even in low- and middle-income countries, where the tobacco industry has greater influence and public awareness of tobacco harms is lower."
Co-author Dr. Marta Rado of Erasmus MC in Rotterdam emphasized, "Ensuring that children grow up in a smoke-free environment should be considered a global public health and human rights priority."
The study used infant mortality and tobacco tax data from 159 countries between 2008 and 2018 and adjusted for several confounding variables, including GDP, birth rate, education level, and access to drinking water, to improve the accuracy of the findings.
Intervention Effects May Vary
The researchers noted that although the findings are global average estimates, actual effects may vary by country because of factors including:
Baseline smoking prevalence
The circulation of illicit tobacco products
Substitution with other tobacco products
The strength of child health protection policies
The study received no specific funding and was independently conducted by researchers from Imperial College London, Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam, and the University of Edinburgh.
News | Global Study Finds Higher Tobacco Taxes Could Save More Than 180,000 Newborn Lives
News | Global Study Finds Higher Tobacco Taxes Could Save More Than 180,000 Newborn Lives
In the first global analysis of its kind, researchers estimated that about 182,000 neonatal deaths could have been prevented in 2018 if every country had fully implemented the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation that tobacco tax account for more than 75% of the retail price.
The study was jointly conducted by Imperial College London and Erasmus MC in Rotterdam and published in PLOS Global Public Health. It noted that smoking harms children's health in several ways: smoking during pregnancy can cause premature birth, while secondhand smoke exposure after birth may contribute to asthma and other lung diseases. Parental smoking can also affect parents' health and finances, indirectly reducing children's access to nutrition, medical care, and opportunities for survival.
The combined data analysis showed that full implementation of the WHO-recommended tobacco tax level in 2018 could have prevented about 231,000 deaths among infants under age 1 worldwide, approximately 79% of them in the neonatal period, or within 28 days of birth. Most of these preventable deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
Low- and Middle-Income Countries Are the Priority for Intervention
The study emphasized that tobacco tax reform has the greatest potential to improve health in LMICs. In 2018, only 14% of the global population lived in countries where tobacco taxes met the WHO recommendation. The figure was just 11% in LMICs, compared with 42% in high-income countries.
From 2008 to 2018, LMICs had an average neonatal mortality rate of 19 deaths per 1,000 live births and an infant mortality rate of 33 per 1,000, far higher than the respective rates of 4 and 6 per 1,000 in high-income countries.
The study found that each 10% increase in tobacco tax, corresponding to a 10% increase in the retail price of cigarettes, was associated with a 2.6% decrease in global neonatal mortality and a 1.9% decrease in mortality among infants under age 1. This could have saved about 78,000 infant lives worldwide in 2018, including approximately 64,000 newborns.
Changes to All Types of Tax Benefit Child Survival
The researchers also examined how different tobacco taxes, including excise tax, value-added tax, and import duties, affected infant mortality. Regardless of the tax type, higher tobacco taxes were significantly associated with improved infant survival.
The research team noted, however, that the study did not include actual retail prices for tobacco products and therefore could not account for tobacco companies lowering prices or offering promotions to offset some of the tax. The study also covered only cigarette taxes, not other tobacco products.
Global Link Between Smoking and Child Mortality Quantified for the First Time
"Our study is the first to quantify the relationship between tobacco tax policies and neonatal and infant mortality from a global perspective."
—Dr. Anthony Laverty, joint lead author, School of Public Health, Imperial College London
Dr. Laverty said, "Raising tobacco taxes is one of the most effective tobacco-control measures. Previous studies, however, have focused mainly on high-income countries or adults. Our study is the first to show that higher tobacco taxes can produce significant child health benefits even in low- and middle-income countries, where the tobacco industry has greater influence and public awareness of tobacco harms is lower."
Co-author Dr. Marta Rado of Erasmus MC in Rotterdam emphasized, "Ensuring that children grow up in a smoke-free environment should be considered a global public health and human rights priority."
The study used infant mortality and tobacco tax data from 159 countries between 2008 and 2018 and adjusted for several confounding variables, including GDP, birth rate, education level, and access to drinking water, to improve the accuracy of the findings.
Intervention Effects May Vary
The researchers noted that although the findings are global average estimates, actual effects may vary by country because of factors including:
Baseline smoking prevalence
The circulation of illicit tobacco products
Substitution with other tobacco products
The strength of child health protection policies
The study received no specific funding and was independently conducted by researchers from Imperial College London, Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam, and the University of Edinburgh.
Source:
Compiled from online sources