The effect of health information on smoking intensity: does addiction matter?. Issue 22 (8th May 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zeng, Sen; Shimokawa, Satoru
• Is Part Of: Applied economics. Volume 52:Issue 22(2020)
• Page Start: 2408
• Page End: 2426
• Publication Date: 2020-05-08
• Subjects: Health information -- smoking -- hypertension -- addiction -- China; D18 -- I12 -- I18; Economics -- Periodicals; 330
• DOI: 10.1080/00036846.2019.1691141
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0003-6846

Abstract

ABSTRACT: We investigate how health information, such as a notification of hypertension, influences smoking intensity differently among smokers with different levels of addiction. To circumvent the endogeneity of health information, we employ a sharp regression discontinuity design that exploits the discontinuity around the cut-off point for a hypertension diagnosis. The addiction levels are conjectured by the age of smoking initiation. Using individual-level data from China, our results demonstrate that a hypertension notification reduces daily cigarette smoking by 8.01 cigarettes among less-addicted smokers in the short term, while the influence is insignificant among more-addicted smokers; the observed difference is better explained by addiction levels than by health attitudes. The long-term effects of a hypertension notification are insignificant, regardless of addiction levels. Our results may provide new support for the importance of preventing youth smoking and providing regular medical check-ups.