The Heterogeneity of the Cigarette Price Effect on Body Mass Index

George Wehby and Charles Courtemanche

No 18087, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: Previous studies estimate the average effect of cigarette price on body mass index (BMI), with recent research showing that their different methodologies all point to a negative effect after several years. This literature, however, ignores the possibility that the effect could vary throughout the BMI distribution or across socioeconomic and demographic groups due to differences in underlying preferences for health or risks for obesity. We evaluate heterogeneity in the long-run impact of cigarette price on BMI by performing quantile regressions and stratifying the sample by race, education, age, and sex. Cigarette price has a highly heterogeneous negative effect that is more than three times as strong at high BMI levels - where weight loss is most beneficial for health - than at low levels. The effects are also strongest for blacks, college graduates, middle-aged adults, and women. We also assess the implications for disparities, conduct robustness checks, and evaluate potential mechanisms.

JEL-codes: I10 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012-05
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-agr and nep-hea
Note: EH
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (30)

Published as Wehby, George L. & Courtemanche, Charles J., 2012. "The heterogeneity of the cigarette price effect on body mass index," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(5), pages 719-729.

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Journal Article: The heterogeneity of the cigarette price effect on body mass index (2012)
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