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Incentivizing Healthy Behavior: Policies for Curbing Tobacco, Alcohol and Drug Use and for Promoting Healthy Diets and Increased Physical Activity

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Guest Editor
American Cancer Society, Economic and Health Policy Research, Atlanta, United States
Interests: health economics; labor economics; development economics; tobacco control; fiscal policies for controlling unhealthy behavior
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH 43017, USA
Interests: health economics; experimental economics; tobacco and alcohol control policies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
University of Illinois at Chicago, Health Policy Center, Institute for Health Research and Policy Chicago, United States
Interests: the impact of economic; policy and other environmental influences on health behaviors; the economics of tobacco and tobacco control; particularly in developing countries
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Behavioral risk factors, such as tobacco, alcohol and drug use, unhealthy diet, and insufficient physical activity, reflected in individual action (or inaction), can be deleterious to one’s own health or that of others and disruptive to human life. While there are numerous psychosocial, economic, and environmental factors that can propel individuals to make unhealthy choices, solutions exist to help them to modify those risky behaviors as well. The use of choice experiments, nudges, and policy interventions to encourage healthy behaviors represents an important intersection between behavioral and clinical science. Existing literature demonstrates that setting the right incentives can effectively reduce consumption of tobacco, alcohol, drugs, and unhealthful diet and increase physical activity to generate enormous public health gain.         

With a view to enhancing evidence-based population-level interventions to promote healthy behavior, this Special Issue welcomes papers on emerging evidence on incentivizing healthier lifestyles with the following specific focus areas:

  • Effectiveness of government policies and actions at subnational, national, and global levels concerned with behavioral risk factors, such as, tobacco, alcohol and drug use, unhealthy diet, and insufficient physical activity;
  • Identification of gaps between evidence-based policy prescriptions and implementation in real-world settings;
  • Reviews of existing evidence on the effectiveness of government interventions and policy implementation gaps.

This Special Issue is intended to enhance a comprehensive understanding of the ways and means to address the global health challenges arising from individual risky behaviors that can be avoided through systematic public policy choices.

Disclaimer: We will not accept research funded in part or full by any tobacco companies in this Special Issue. For more details, please check: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/15/12/2831/htm.

Dr. Nigar Nargis
Dr. Ce Shang
Prof. Dr. Frank J. Chaloupka
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • economics of risky behaviors and health
  • tobacco use and control
  • alcohol use, disorders amd control
  • drug abuse and control
  • unhealthy diet and obesity control
  • physical activity and health

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 1309 KiB  
Article
A Longitudinal Analysis of Alcohol Use Behavior among Korean Adults and Related Factors: A Latent Class Growth Model
by Suyon Baek and Eun-Hi Choi
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(16), 8797; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18168797 - 20 Aug 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2562
Abstract
This study classified the changes in alcohol use behavior among Korean adults and explored the related factors. The study used data from the 4th (2009) to 14th (2019) waves of the Korean Welfare Panel Study. The subjects were 8267 adults aged 19–60 years. [...] Read more.
This study classified the changes in alcohol use behavior among Korean adults and explored the related factors. The study used data from the 4th (2009) to 14th (2019) waves of the Korean Welfare Panel Study. The subjects were 8267 adults aged 19–60 years. Latent class growth analysis was used to classify the latent classes of alcohol use behavior among Korean adults, and logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the specific factors that form the classes. Additionally, the 11-year trajectories of major variables associated with alcohol use behavior for the derived classes were analyzed using growth mixture modeling. Four classes were identified according to the trajectories of alcohol use behavior. There were statistically significant differences in the trajectories of depression, self-esteem, satisfaction in family relationships, and satisfaction in leisure activities according to the class of alcohol use behavior. In particular, self-esteem and satisfaction in family relationships indicated distinctly decreasing trajectories in the low- to moderate-risk class, which suggested the need for longitudinal analysis of the factors that influence alcohol use behavior. Moreover, it is recommended that interventions for the prevention of high-risk drinking target not only individuals but also family units. Full article
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11 pages, 832 KiB  
Article
Cigarette Prices and Smoking Behavior in Israel: Findings from a National Study of Adults (2002–2017)
by Kerem Shuval, Michal Stoklosa, Nigar Nargis, Jeffrey Drope, Shay Tzafrir, Lital Keinan-Boker, Laura F. DeFina and Mahmoud Qadan
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(16), 8367; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18168367 - 7 Aug 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3719
Abstract
Tobacco taxation and price policies are considered the most effective for lowering demand for tobacco products. While this statement is based on research from numerous countries, scant evidence exists on this topic for Israel. Accordingly, we assessed the association between cigarette prices and [...] Read more.
Tobacco taxation and price policies are considered the most effective for lowering demand for tobacco products. While this statement is based on research from numerous countries, scant evidence exists on this topic for Israel. Accordingly, we assessed the association between cigarette prices and smoking prevalence and intensity from a national sample of adults in Israel (2002–2017). Data on smoking behavior were derived from the Israeli Knowledge Attitudes and Practices (KAP) survey, a repeated cross-sectional survey. Price information is from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) since it was not collected in the KAP survey. We used the price of a pack of 20 cigarettes for Marlboro and the local brand. These two price variables were the primary independent variables, and we adjusted for inflation. The dependent variables were current smoking (yes/no) and smoking intensity, defined as the number of cigarettes smoked per week. Multivariable analysis was employed using a two-part model while adjusting for covariates. The first step of the model utilized logistic regression with current smoking as the dependent variable. The second step examining smoking intensity as the dependent variable, used OLS regression. Price elasticity was estimated as well. Analysis revealed that a one-unit increase (Israeli currency) in the price of local brand of cigarettes was related to 2.0% (OR = 0.98; 95%CI 0.98, 0.99) lower odds of being a current smoker, adjusting for covariates including household income. Moreover, a one unit increase in the price of the local brand of cigarettes was related to consuming 1.49 (95% CI −1.97, −1.00) fewer weekly cigarettes, controlling for household income and covariates. Similar results were found with the Marlboro cigarette prices. The total price elasticity of cigarette demand, given by the sum of price elasticities of smoking prevalence and intensity, showed that a 10.0% increase in the price is associated with a 4.6–9.2% lower cigarette consumption among Israeli adults. Thus, increasing cigarette prices will likely lead to a reduction in cigarette smoking thereby improving public health in Israel. Full article
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12 pages, 633 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Cigarette Excise Tax Increases on Regular Drinking Behavior: Evidence from China
by Zili Zhang and Rong Zheng
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(9), 3327; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17093327 - 11 May 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3833
Abstract
(1) Background: Many studies have shown that increasing taxation on cigarettes does play a role in tobacco control, but few studies have focused on whether increasing cigarette excise taxes significantly affects alcohol consumption. In this article, we aim to examine the effects of [...] Read more.
(1) Background: Many studies have shown that increasing taxation on cigarettes does play a role in tobacco control, but few studies have focused on whether increasing cigarette excise taxes significantly affects alcohol consumption. In this article, we aim to examine the effects of China’s 2015 increase in the cigarette excise tax on residents’ regular drinking behavior. (2) Methods: Using survey data from China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), we performed a panel logit regression analysis to model the relationship between the cigarette excise tax and regular drinking behavior. The Propensity Score Matching with Difference-in-Differences (PSM-DID) approach was adopted to determine the extent to which the cigarette excise tax affected residents’ drinking behavior. To test whether the cigarette excise tax could change regular drinking behavior by decreasing daily smoking quantity, we used an interaction term model. (3) Results: China’s 2015 increase in the cigarette excise tax had a significant negative effect on the probability of regular alcohol consumption among smokers, and the cigarette excise tax worked by reducing the average daily smoking of smokers. We also found that the regular drinking behavior of male smokers was more deeply affected by the increased cigarette excise tax than females. (4) Conclusions: Our research results not only give a deeper understanding of the impact of the cigarette excise tax, but also provide an important reference with which to guide future decisions concerning excise taxes imposed on cigarettes. Full article
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