Cost of tobacco-related diseases, including passive smoking, in Hong Kong

Abstract

Background: Costs of tobacco-related disease can be useful evidence to support tobacco control. In Hong Kong we now have locally derived data on the risks of smoking, including passive smoking. Aim: To estimate the health-related costs of tobacco from both active and passive smoking. Methods: Using local data, we estimated active and passive smoking-attributable mortality, hospital admissions, outpatient, emergency and general practitioner visits for adults and children, use of nursing homes and domestic help, time lost from work due to illness and premature mortality in the productive years. Morbidity risk data were used where possible but otherwise estimates based on mortality risks were used. Utilisation was valued at unit costs or from survey data. Work time lost was valued at the median wage and an additional costing included a value of US$1.3 million for a life lost. Results: In the Hong Kong population of 6.5 million in 1998, the annual value of direct medical costs, long term care and productivity loss was US$532 million for active smoking and US$156 million for passive smoking; passive smoking accounted for 23% of the total costs. Adding the value of attributable lives lost brought the annual cost to US$9.4 billion. Conclusion:The health costs of tobacco use are high and represent a net loss to society. Passive smoking increases these costs by at least a quarter. This quantification of the costs of tobacco provides strong motivation for legislative action on smoke-free areas in the Asia Pacific Region and elsewhere.

The Healthcare Costs of Secondhand Smoke Exposure in Rural China

“…The ratio of SHS costs to active smoking costs in our study was higher than a study conducted in Hong Kong, which reported a ratio of 29%. 25 Our study demonstrates that the true impact of smoking on healthcare costs in rural areas would be one third higher than the estimates by Yang et al 24 when the burden of SHS exposure is included. Given that the majority of women and children are nonsmokers and exposed to SHS in rural China, tobacco control interventions that reduce SHS exposure are needed.…”

Estimativa da carga do tabagismo no Brasil: mortalidade, morbidade e custos

“…Also worthy of mention is the cost of second-hand smoke and of perinatal conditions, particularly the former, that have been included in the calculation of economic burden in a number of countries 42,43 . The comparison of our findings with those of other investigations that estimated costs for the health system is limited, due to aspects that were mentioned in a previous research 44 .…”

Tobacco control policy in Hong Kong

“…Tobacco dependence is a chronic disease that is responsible for over 6900 deaths a year in Hong Kong 1 and nearly 6 million deaths a year worldwide. It is also the single most important preventable risk factor responsible for death and chronic disease, including cancer and cardiovascular diseases.…”