Cigarette Purchase Patterns Among Older Smokers: Findings from the COMMIT Cohort

ABSTRACT

Almost 13 million people aging 50 and above in the US, including 4 million persons aging 65 and above, currently smoke. This paper considers smoking patterns among older smokers in relation to price by identifying the use of discounted purchasing options. Multivariate logistic regression models were estimated using survey data from the years 2001 to 2005 to consider differences in age regarding the use of lower price alternatives (the internet, neighboring states with lower taxes, and Indian reservations) to the high taxed cigarettes, the effects of cigarette taxes and the use of untaxed sources on quit attempts, and how the price and the availability of low priced alternatives may affect the use of cessation medications. We found that older smokers, in particular, turn to low/untaxed sources of cigarettes, such as the internet, neighboring states with lower taxes, and Indian reservations. They also turned to discounted cigarettes. The sensitivity of older Americans to price was also confirmed by findings that quit attempts by seniors relative to younger smokers are most responsive to the state tax rate, but are at least partially negated by the use of low tax cigarettes.