Factores socioeconómicos asociados con la compra ilegal de productos de tabaco en Panamá

Abstract

Objetivo. Caracterizar la compra ilegal de productos derivados del tabaco y su asociación con variables socio­demográficas y socioeconómicas. Material y métodos. La fuente de datos es la Encuesta Mundial de Tabaco en Adultos de 2013. Se caracterizó la compra ilícita mediante variables sociodemográficas (SOD) y socioeconómicas (SES). Se utilizaron modelos de regresión logística. Resultados. Se encontraron asociaciones de las variables SOD y SES con compra ilegal, particularmente en hombres; grupo etario de 15 a 39 años, educación no formal, empleado de gobierno e inactivos, área urbana, fumador diario y en el primer quintil de ingresos. Conclusiones. Las variables SOD y SES influyen en la compra ilícita. Es importante la vigilancia del comercio ilícito en el segmento minorista y la aplicación efectiva de las normas vigentes.

Illicit cigarette trade in Metropolitan Santiago de Chile

“…The proportion of illicit cigarettes identified in this study is higher than the one recently found for Colombia,15 though far below the level reported for Panama16 and Brazil 14 20. We do not have estimates for illicit cigarettes penetration in other areas of the country, but it could be expected that in border areas or those near duty free zones, the penetration could be higher, based on what was found in other Latin American countries, such as Colombia15 and Panama 16. Given that 40.5% of the national population lives in Metropolitan Santiago,21 it is very likely that the national total is close to what was reported here.…”

“…Though typical illicit trade control measures are supply side oriented (eg, increasing penalties for contraband-related crimes, reducing or eliminating duty-free allowances, increasing controls at sensitive borders and implementing track and trace systems), identifying the socioeconomic variables associated with the purchase of illicit cigarettes may help authorities to understand relevant aspects of this phenomenon and help them to design more effective policies to control the illicit cigarette trade from the demand side. This follows similar studies conducted in the region, which also inquire about socioeconomic variables linked to illicit cigarette consumption 14–16. In this regard, the results obtained here can be compared with those obtained in similar countries.…”

“…For the first time in Chile, a direct method (survey of smokers) is used, and one that is independent of the TI. Because the use of direct methods to estimate illicit cigarette trade is relatively new in the Latin American region,15 16 this research makes an important new contribution to this growing literature and helps to establish patterns of both industry behaviour and that of smokers.…”