The effect of health information on smoking intensity: does addiction matter?

We investigate how health information, such as a notification of hypertension, influences smoking intensity differently among smokers with different levels of addiction. To circumvent the endogeneity of health information, we employ a sharp regression discontinuity design that exploits the discontinuity around the cut-off point for a hypertension diagnosis. The addiction levels are conjectured by the age of smoking initiation. Using individual-level data from China, our results demonstrate that a hypertension notification reduces daily cigarette smoking by 8.01 cigarettes among less-addicted smokers in the short term, while the influence is insignificant among more-addicted smokers; the observed difference is better explained by addiction levels than by health attitudes. The long-term effects of a hypertension notification are insignificant, regardless of addiction levels. Our results may provide new support for the importance of preventing youth smoking and providing regular medical check-ups.