Use of illicit tobacco in England: Findings from a cross-sectional survey
Author(s)
Belinda Iringe-Koko, Ann McNeill and Jennifer Fidler
Presenter(s)
Belinda Iringe-Koko PhD Student, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London
Abstract
The existence of illicit tobacco undermines the effect tax rises (above the rate of inflation) have on encouraging smokers to quit and preventing the initiation of smoking. To tackle the illicit tobacco trade it is important to know the actual size of the problem. However, the number of illicit trade data sources is limited and too often the methodology is complicated or unclear. This study aimed to determine the number of smokers in England that reported purchasing tobacco from an illicit source in certain months in 2007/08.
Methods: Data was taken from the Smoking Toolkit Study; a repeated cross-sectional household survey of the general population in England aged 16 and above. 1520 current smokers responded to questions on where they purchased tobacco, how much of their tobacco consumption was cheap and the reasons they believed this tobacco was cheaper than the shops.
Findings: A fifth (19.1% (n=290)) of current smokers surveyed admitted to buying some form of illicit tobacco in the last 6 months. Males were significantly more likely to purchase illicit tobacco (p<0.05) and those purchasing from illicit sources were significantly younger (p<0.05). Participants who reported purchasing illicit tobacco were also more likely to be from low socio-economic groups (p<0.05) and high tobacco dependence (p<0.05).
Conclusions: This study indicates that those who report purchasing illicit tobacco are more likely to be young, male, from a low socio-economic group, and report high tobacco dependence. It is hoped that these findings will serve as a starting point for looking at the trend in illicit tobacco use and the traits of those who consume illicit tobacco. Further research into the views and perceptions of those who purchase illicit tobacco is needed to better understand their motivations in order to develop effective policies that are focused on this target population.
