Differential effects: When well-intended policies contribute to health inequities

The 21st century rise of noncombustible nicotine products has complicated efforts to determine tobacco and nicotine policies’ health impacts, as cross-product effects can aggravate or mitigate health costs depending on the products’ relative harms. Research on electronic cigarette policies has attempted to address this by assessing effects on combustible tobacco use as well as vaping, but less consideration has been given to potential heterogeneity in effects between groups that are more versus less likely to smoke. In particular, if e-cigarette policies’ effects on smoking and vaping vary by socioeconomic status, such regulations could narrow or amplify disparities in tobacco-related disease. To consider this, Prof. Friedman will present preliminary results from a natural experiment leveraging US e-cigarette policy variation to assess potential implications for socioeconomic disparities in smoking and vaping.