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Revista Colombiana de Cancerología

Print version ISSN 0123-9015

Abstract

PENA-TORRES, Esperanza et al. Disease burden attributable to smoking in Colombia and potential economic and health benefits of price increase through taxes. rev.colomb.cancerol. [online]. 2019, vol.23, n.4, pp.135-143. ISSN 0123-9015.  https://doi.org/10.35509/01239015.31.

Objective:

to estimate the burden of disease associated with tobacco consumption in Colombia and to evaluate the potential health and economic effect of the price increase in cigarettes through taxes.

Materials and methods:

to estimate the burden of disease, a first-order Monte Carlo simulation model was designed that incorporated the natural history, costs and quality of life of diseases related to tobacco consumption in adults. A tax model was designed to calculate the impact on the prevalence of smoking and on the collection of different price increase scenarios.

Results:

according to the proposed model, it can be estimated that in Colombia 26,464 people die every year as a result of cigarette smoking. 13% of cardiovascular deaths, 13% of those caused by strokes, 77% of deaths caused by chronic lung disease and 81 % of deaths from lung cancer can be attributed to their consumption. The diseases related to cigarettes in Colombia represent a direct annual cost of more than 4 billion pesos, while the tax collection from the sale of cigarettes barely covers 10% of this expense. An increase in the price of cigarettes of 50% could prevent more than 30,000 deaths in ten years and generate resources for 7.9 billion savings in health spending and increased collection.

Conclusions:

the burden of disease and the cost to the health system associated with tobacco use are very high in Colombia. An increase in the price of cigarettes through taxes would have important health and economic benefits for Colombia.

Keywords : Tobacco use; Cost of illness; Taxes; Colombia.

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