Tobacco Use, Health Care Utilization, Household Expenditure and Smoking Cessation in China

Abstract

This dissertation studied the tobacco use impact of on health care utilization, household expenditure, and self-rated health among rural residents in rural China. The 2010-2014 China Family Panel Studies data were employed here. Moreover, this study also conducted the randomized controlled trial and analyzed the cost-effectiveness smoking cessation intervention among college-aged smokers in Inner Mongolia, China.

The main findings showed: (1) Current and former smokers use more outpatient care than non-smokers. Moreover, former smokers use more inpatient care than non-smokers in rural China. (2) Long-term quitters decreased the probability of using inpatient care compared with recent and moderate-term quitters in rural China. (3) Recent and long-term quitters had a much higher probability of visiting the general and specialized hospital compared to vising the village health center and the clinic in rural China. (4) Tobacco consumption crowded out expenditures on food, dress, health care, and education for rural households in China. Moreover, high tobacco consumption households reduced much more spending on health care and education compared with other tobacco consumption households in rural China. (5) Non-smokers and ex-smokers were more likely to report their health status as better compared with last year. Additionally, Ex-smokers were more likely to report better health compared with last year in rural China and proves that the result of quitting may improve self-report health status. (6) TM plus GBT was more cost-effective compared to the NRT at 3 months based on the continuous abstinence rate as effectiveness measurement among college-aged adult smoker in Inner Mongolia, China.