The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health

Objective: To determine the impact of tobacco consumption in the Philippines, specifically: Determine the prevalence of tobacco use and associated factors; determine and compare the burden of tobacco use in the population, on morbidity and mortality, and economic cost and productivity losses of smoking; compare the economic cost of tobacco use with the national economic earnings from tobacco sales; and compare the tobacco expenditure of the lower income class with potential investment in basic necessities such as food, health and education, and to identify the magnitude of money spent on tobacco rather than basic needs among marginal groups.

Methods: Secondary analyses of national surveys on prevalence of tobacco use in the country, and on household income and expenditure surveys in 2000 and 2003. Descriptive and econometric estimation of the impact of price increases and taxation on tobacco consumption especially among the poor.

Results: Final report will be available by March of 2006