Working Paper: NBER ID: w12527
Authors: Sara Markowitz
Abstract: Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is a leading cause of mortality among infants and is responsible for thousands of infant deaths every year. Prenatal smoking and postnatal environmental smoke have been identified as strong risk factors for SIDS. Given the link between smoking and SIDS, this paper examines the direct effects of cigarette prices, taxes and clean indoor air laws in explaining changes in the incidence of SIDS over time in the United States. State-level counts of SIDS cases are generated from death certificates for 1973 to 2003. After controlling for some observed and unobserved confounding factors, the results show that higher cigarette prices and taxes are associated with reductions in SIDS cases. Stronger restrictions on smoking in restaurants and child care centers are also effective in reducing SIDS deaths.
Keywords: Sudden Infant Death Syndrome; Cigarette Regulations; Public Health Policy
JEL Codes: I0
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Higher cigarette prices (D49) | Reduction in SIDS cases (I14) |
| Ten percent increase in real price of cigarettes (D49) | Reduction in SIDS deaths (I14) |
| Higher cigarette taxes (H29) | Decreased SIDS rates (I12) |
| Stronger restrictions on smoking in restaurants (L66) | Lower SIDS counts (Y10) |
| Stronger restrictions on smoking in childcare centers (J13) | Lower SIDS counts (Y10) |
| Private workplace restrictions (J29) | Lower SIDS counts (Y10) |