Direct and indirect costs of smoking in Vietnam

• Published in: Tobacco control 2016-01, Vol.25 (1), p.96-100
• Main Authors: Hoang Anh, Pham Thi, Thu, Le Thi, Ross, Hana, Quynh Anh, Nguyen, Linh, Bui Ngoc, Minh, Nguyen Thac
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cardiovascular disease; Cardiovascular diseases; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Cost estimates; Cost of Illness; Costs; Developing countries; Disease; Economic costs; Estimates; Expenditures; Female; GDP; Gross Domestic Product; Health care; Health care costs; Health care expenditures; Health care policy; Health insurance; Hospital costs; Hospitalization; Hospitals; Human capital; Humans; Ischemia; LDCs; Lung cancer; Lung neoplasms; Male; Middle Aged; Morbidity; Mortality; Myocardial ischemia; Overhead costs; Patients; Public health; Pulmonary heart disease; Questionnaires; Research Paper; Respiratory diseases; Smoking; Smoking - economics; Studies; Tobacco; Tobacco smoking; Total costs; Tuberculosis; Vietnam
• ISSN: 0964-4563; 1468-3318
• DOI: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2014-051821

ObjectiveTo estimate the direct and indirect costs of active smoking in Vietnam.MethodA prevalence-based disease-specific cost of illness approach was utilised to calculate the costs related to five smoking-related diseases: lung cancer, cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, ischaemic heart disease and stroke. Data on healthcare came from an original survey, hospital records and official government statistics. Morbidity and mortality due to smoking combined with the average per capita income were used to calculate the indirect costs of smoking by applying the human capital approach. The smoking-attributable fraction was calculated using the adjusted relative risk values from phase II of the American Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Study (CPS-II). Costs were classified as personal, governmental and health insurance costs.ResultsThe total economic cost of smoking in 2011 was estimated at 24 679.9 billion Vietnamese dong (VND), equivalent to US$1173.2 million or approximately 0.97% of the 2011 gross domestic product. The direct costs of inpatient and outpatient care reached 9896.2 billion VND (US$470.4 million) and 2567.2 billion VND (US$122.0 million), respectively. The government’s contribution to these costs was 4534.3 billion VND (US$215.5 million), which was equivalent to 5.76% of its 2011 healthcare budget. The indirect costs (productivity loss) due to morbidity and mortality were 2652.9 billion VND (US$126.1 million) and 9563.5 billion VND (US$454.6 million), respectively. These indirect costs represent about 49.5% of the total costs of smoking.ConclusionsTobacco consumption has large negative consequences on the Vietnamese economy.