Area-Level Differences in the Prices of Tobacco and Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems

This Systematic Review was written by G. Emmanuel Guindon, Tooba Fatima, Bipandeep Abbat, Prabhnoor Bhonsa, and Sophiya Garasia. The systematic review aimed to examine associations between area-level characteristics (socioeconomic status, racial or ethnic characteristics, age, and any other characteristics that may be associated with vulnerability) and the prices of tobacco products and electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS). The review was conducted by searching MEDLINE, EconLit and Scopus, unpublished and grey literature, hand-searching four specialty journals, examining references of relevant studies, and contacting key informants. Twenty studies were identified to be within the scope of the research. Data on characteristics, methods, and main results were extracted, in addition to assessing the quality of each study. The authors found that cigarette prices tend to be lower in lower socioeconomic status neighbourhoods, and in neighbourhoods with a higher percentage of youth, and Blacks or African Americans. The findings are consistent with tobacco industry documents that detailed how manufacturers used race, class, and geography to target vulnerable populations. To address this, regulations that limit industry price manipulation such as minimum, maximum, and uniform prices, and high specific excise taxes should be considered. Furthermore, more frequent and systematic monitoring of tobacco prices and ENDS is warranted.

If additional studies on tobacco and electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) prices are known, please email emmanuel.guindon@mcmaster.ca so that they may be included in the review in the future.