Evaluating the impact of a tobacco tax increase on smoking cessation outcomes

Objective: This study assesses the impact of Taiwan’s 2017 tobacco tax increase on smoking cessation outcomes using data from a regional teaching hospital between 2013 and 2019. It focuses on the treatment completion rates for pharmacotherapy and health education interventions. Methods: This retrospective study involves a secondary data analysis conducted at a regional teaching hospital. The analysis included preventive healthcare and smoking cessation service records from the National Health Insurance Administration database and the hospital’s own records. The effectiveness of smoking cessation programs was assessed via follow-up records at three and six months, which were categorized into four groups: failure (smoking-smoking), relapse (not smoking-smoking), delay (smoking-not smoking), and successful cessation (not smoking-not smoking). A multinomial logistic regression model was applied for the multivariate analysis. Results: No statistically significant difference was observed in the effectiveness of smoking cessation services before and after the tobacco tax increase. However, the participants who failed to complete both the pharmacotherapy and the health education counseling had a markedly higher likelihood of cessation failure compared with those who completed both interventions (OR = 4.84, 95% CI: 2.69–8.70). Conclusion: While the 2017 tobacco tax increase did not significantly improve cessation outcomes, service completion was strongly associated with success. Efforts to support full participation in smoking cessation services may enhance the treatment’s effectiveness.