Cigarette Prices and Smoking Prevalence After a Tobacco Tax Increase — Turkey, 2008 and 2012

May 30, 2014 / Vol. 63 / No. 21

MMWR Highlights

Changes in Cigarette Prices and Smoking Prevalence Between 2008 and 2012

• The average price paid for a pack of cigarettes increased by 42.1% between 2008 and 2012.
• The average smoking rate dropped by 14.6% between 2008 and 2012, from 30.1% to 25.7%.
  
  

Decreases in Smoking Prevalence by Socioeconomic Status

• The largest drop in smoking prevalence—a 30.3% decrease—was among people in the bottom third of the wealth index.
• The decrease among those in the middle third of the wealth index was 13.9%.
• The decrease in smoking prevalence among those in the top third of the wealth index was 11.1%.