Version 1
: Received: 12 August 2024 / Approved: 13 August 2024 / Online: 13 August 2024 (11:16:17 CEST)
How to cite:
Mahlich, J.; Kamae, I. Switching from Cigarettes to Heated Tobacco Products in Japan – Potential Impact on Health Outcomes and Associated Health Care Costs. Preprints2024, 2024080924. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202408.0924.v1
Mahlich, J.; Kamae, I. Switching from Cigarettes to Heated Tobacco Products in Japan – Potential Impact on Health Outcomes and Associated Health Care Costs. Preprints 2024, 2024080924. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202408.0924.v1
Mahlich, J.; Kamae, I. Switching from Cigarettes to Heated Tobacco Products in Japan – Potential Impact on Health Outcomes and Associated Health Care Costs. Preprints2024, 2024080924. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202408.0924.v1
APA Style
Mahlich, J., & Kamae, I. (2024). Switching from Cigarettes to Heated Tobacco Products in Japan – Potential Impact on Health Outcomes and Associated Health Care Costs. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202408.0924.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Mahlich, J. and Isao Kamae. 2024 "Switching from Cigarettes to Heated Tobacco Products in Japan – Potential Impact on Health Outcomes and Associated Health Care Costs" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202408.0924.v1
Abstract
Background: Health expenditure in Japan is rising due to an ageing society while simultaneously pressure is mounting to increase spending in other areas such as defense, all in the context of a stagnating economy. Easing pressures on the health care sector through smoking-related cost reductions could thus be a cornerstone to mitigate the looming fiscal threat. Public health policy has encouraged cessation, but this approach has seen limited success. Focusing on cessation alone therefore may not be a sustainable policy strategy and other, new solutions need to be found to reduce smoking-related costs.
Methods: Using a status-quo simulation based on hospital resources data derived from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, we examine the impact of heated tobacco products (HTPs) on the prevalence of four smoking attributable diseases (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), ischemic heart disease (IHD), stroke and lung cancer) and related direct health care costs. Base case scenario assumes a switching rate from combustible smokers to HTPs of 50%. A risk reduction rate of 70% was applied. A sensitivity analysis was performed to determine the impact of parameter changes on output.
Results: Our results indicate that 50% of smokers switching to use HTPs instead of combustible tobacco products could reduce the number of patients of the four smoking attributable diseases considered by 12 million cases equivalent to 454 billion JPY in savings. Prefectures located in the north and south of Japan would benefit most.
Conclusion: Considering the heterogeneous prevalence rates across population groups and prefectures, a one-size-fits-all, centralized approach to tobacco control is not effective. Health authorities should strategically use multiple interventions to address smoking related health risks and costs. Switching to HTPs should be encouraged in parallel to smoking cessation, and educational efforts should aim to increase the awareness on health risks, especially among younger people.
Keywords
Heated Tobacco Products,; Japan; health resource utilization; Smoking
Subject
Public Health and Healthcare, Public Health and Health Services
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
