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Using Search Query Surveillance to Monitor Tax Avoidance and Smoking Cessation following the United States' 2009 “SCHIP” Cigarette Tax Increase

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  • John W Ayers
  • Kurt Ribisl
  • John S Brownstein

Abstract

Smokers can use the web to continue or quit their habit. Online vendors sell reduced or tax-free cigarettes lowering smoking costs, while health advocates use the web to promote cessation. We examined how smokers' tax avoidance and smoking cessation Internet search queries were motivated by the United States' (US) 2009 State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) federal cigarette excise tax increase and two other state specific tax increases. Google keyword searches among residents in a taxed geography (US or US state) were compared to an untaxed geography (Canada) for two years around each tax increase. Search data were normalized to a relative search volume (RSV) scale, where the highest search proportion was labeled 100 with lesser proportions scaled by how they relatively compared to the highest proportion. Changes in RSV were estimated by comparing means during and after the tax increase to means before the tax increase, across taxed and untaxed geographies. The SCHIP tax was associated with an 11.8% (95% confidence interval [95%CI], 5.7 to 17.9; p

Suggested Citation

  • John W Ayers & Kurt Ribisl & John S Brownstein, 2011. "Using Search Query Surveillance to Monitor Tax Avoidance and Smoking Cessation following the United States' 2009 “SCHIP” Cigarette Tax Increase," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(3), pages 1-7, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0016777
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0016777
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    Cited by:

    1. Lucas J Carr & Shira I Dunsiger, 2012. "Search Query Data to Monitor Interest in Behavior Change: Application for Public Health," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(10), pages 1-3, October.

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