Exploring how tobacco taxes can reduce cancer health disparities
Official title: Development of abuse liability-based tobacco tax proposals: Experimental impact on tobacco-related socioeconomic cancer health disparities
Funded at Virginia Polytechnic Inst and St Univ · NIH-10907616 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at how raising taxes on different tobacco products might help reduce cancer-related health issues, especially for those who are most affected by tobacco use, by seeing how people change their buying habits when faced with different tax rates.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Career grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Virginia Polytechnic Inst and St Univ NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Blacksburg, United States) |
| Project start | August 15, 2023 |
| Project end | July 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2024 |
| Award (this year) | $211,516 |
| NIH project number | 5K01CA279490-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-10907616 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are individuals who smoke cigarettes and belong to populations disproportionately affected by tobacco-related health disparities.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who do not smoke or are not affected by tobacco-related health disparities may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates the impact of tobacco taxes on reducing cancer-related health disparities caused by tobacco use. It utilizes an Experimental Tobacco Marketplace (ETM) to simulate real-world conditions and assess how different tax strategies based on the abuse potential of tobacco products can influence purchasing behaviors. The study aims to develop a ranking of tobacco products by their abuse liability and test the effectiveness of these tax strategies in a controlled environment. By understanding these dynamics, the research seeks to inform public health policies that could lead to better health outcomes for affected populations.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to more effective tobacco control policies that significantly reduce cancer rates among vulnerable populations.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has shown that tobacco taxes can effectively reduce smoking rates, suggesting that this approach may yield significant insights into health disparities.
Where this research is happening
-
Virginia Polytechnic Inst and St Univ
Blacksburg, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Freitas Lemos, Roberta — Virginia Polytechnic Inst and St Univ
- Study coordinator: Freitas Lemos, Roberta
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.