Public Health
Raising the price of a pack of cigarettes has not cut smoking rates equally among different income groups, according to a study in the American Journal of Public Health.
Researchers found that over time, higher cigarette prices translated to a drop in smoking rates only among high-income populations. As a result, the authors projected that increasing cigarette prices only will exacerbate economic differences in smoking rates.
The study questioned whether further tobacco tax increases are effective strategies to curb smoking rates in low-income populations, and the authors called for expanding efforts that specifically target low-education and income groups (Franks et al., American Journal of Public Health, October 2007).