Intended changes in smoking behaviour of Dutch young adults after an increase in excise tax: a cross-sectional survey

Objectives Increasing the price of tobacco is one of the most effective measures to reduce the prevalence of smoking. In the Netherlands, the excise tax on tobacco increased by €1.14 in 2020, raising the price of a standard package of cigarettes to €8.00. This study investigates how young adults int...

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Main Authors: G Ardine de Wit, Kirsten Visscher, Babette Everaars, Anita WM Suijkerbuijk, Mattijs Lambooij
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2023-12-01
Series:BMJ Open
Online Access:https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/12/e065535.full
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author G Ardine de Wit
Kirsten Visscher
Babette Everaars
Anita WM Suijkerbuijk
Mattijs Lambooij
author_facet G Ardine de Wit
Kirsten Visscher
Babette Everaars
Anita WM Suijkerbuijk
Mattijs Lambooij
author_sort G Ardine de Wit
collection DOAJ
description Objectives Increasing the price of tobacco is one of the most effective measures to reduce the prevalence of smoking. In the Netherlands, the excise tax on tobacco increased by €1.14 in 2020, raising the price of a standard package of cigarettes to €8.00. This study investigates how young adults intend to change their smoking behaviour in the case of hypothetical price increases of a pack of cigarettes, and which background characteristics are associated with intended behaviour change.Design A cross-sectional online survey was carried out between September and November 2020. Smokers indicated how they would react to several hypothetical increases in price. Four behavioural options were investigated: smoking less, quitting smoking, switching to another/cheaper product and buying cheaper cigarettes cross-border.Participants Data were obtained from 776 Dutch smokers between 15 and 25 years.Results At a hypothetical price of €10 per package, most respondents reported an intention to smoke less (67%), followed by switching to another/cheaper product (61%), quitting smoking (49%) and shopping for cigarettes cross-border (47%). Prior quit attempts, agreeing with the increase in excise tax and the intention to quit smoking in the future increased the odds of changing behaviour. Higher self-efficacy decreased the odds of behavioural change.Conclusion Many young adults intend to change their smoking behaviour in the event of increased prices. Although intended behaviour can deviate significantly from actual behaviour, an increase in excise tax may result in a significant amount of quit attempts and reduced smoking among young adults.
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spelling doaj-art-8925fe5e308e474f9039fee3be34eb6a2025-08-20T03:52:16ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552023-12-01131210.1136/bmjopen-2022-065535Intended changes in smoking behaviour of Dutch young adults after an increase in excise tax: a cross-sectional surveyG Ardine de Wit0Kirsten Visscher1Babette Everaars2Anita WM Suijkerbuijk3Mattijs Lambooij4Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The NetherlandsNational Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The NetherlandsNational Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The NetherlandsNational Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The NetherlandsNational Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The NetherlandsObjectives Increasing the price of tobacco is one of the most effective measures to reduce the prevalence of smoking. In the Netherlands, the excise tax on tobacco increased by €1.14 in 2020, raising the price of a standard package of cigarettes to €8.00. This study investigates how young adults intend to change their smoking behaviour in the case of hypothetical price increases of a pack of cigarettes, and which background characteristics are associated with intended behaviour change.Design A cross-sectional online survey was carried out between September and November 2020. Smokers indicated how they would react to several hypothetical increases in price. Four behavioural options were investigated: smoking less, quitting smoking, switching to another/cheaper product and buying cheaper cigarettes cross-border.Participants Data were obtained from 776 Dutch smokers between 15 and 25 years.Results At a hypothetical price of €10 per package, most respondents reported an intention to smoke less (67%), followed by switching to another/cheaper product (61%), quitting smoking (49%) and shopping for cigarettes cross-border (47%). Prior quit attempts, agreeing with the increase in excise tax and the intention to quit smoking in the future increased the odds of changing behaviour. Higher self-efficacy decreased the odds of behavioural change.Conclusion Many young adults intend to change their smoking behaviour in the event of increased prices. Although intended behaviour can deviate significantly from actual behaviour, an increase in excise tax may result in a significant amount of quit attempts and reduced smoking among young adults.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/12/e065535.full
spellingShingle G Ardine de Wit
Kirsten Visscher
Babette Everaars
Anita WM Suijkerbuijk
Mattijs Lambooij
Intended changes in smoking behaviour of Dutch young adults after an increase in excise tax: a cross-sectional survey
BMJ Open
title Intended changes in smoking behaviour of Dutch young adults after an increase in excise tax: a cross-sectional survey
title_full Intended changes in smoking behaviour of Dutch young adults after an increase in excise tax: a cross-sectional survey
title_fullStr Intended changes in smoking behaviour of Dutch young adults after an increase in excise tax: a cross-sectional survey
title_full_unstemmed Intended changes in smoking behaviour of Dutch young adults after an increase in excise tax: a cross-sectional survey
title_short Intended changes in smoking behaviour of Dutch young adults after an increase in excise tax: a cross-sectional survey
title_sort intended changes in smoking behaviour of dutch young adults after an increase in excise tax a cross sectional survey
url https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/12/e065535.full
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