Research

Impact of Tobacco Control Spending and Tobacco Control Policies on Adolescents' Attitudes and Beliefs about Cigarette Smoking

Tauras JA and Chaloupka FJ. Evidence-Based Preventive Medicine, 1(2): 111-120, 2004.

While much is known about the impact of tobacco control policies on youth cigarette demand, very little is known about the impact of tobacco control policies on youths' attitudes and beliefs toward smoking. This paper is the first econometric study to examine the impact of state-level tobacco control spending, youth access laws, clean indoor air laws and cigarette prices on adolescents’ attitudes and beliefs about cigarette smoking. The data for this study were extracted from the 1991-2000 nationally representative surveys of 8^th-, 10^th- and 12^th-grade students as part of the Monitoring the Future Project. Weighted probit equations were employed to estimate the attitudes and beliefs equations. The results clearly indicate that increased state spending on tobacco control, stronger clean indoor air laws and youth access laws and higher cigarette prices are effective in changing youth’s attitudes and beliefs toward smoking.