The effects of a minimum cigarette purchase age of 21 on prenatal smoking and infant health

Abstract

A key goal of US public health policies is to reduce costly adverse birth outcomes to which prenatal smoking is a crucial contributor. This study is the first to evaluate the impacts of a minimum cigarette purchase age of 21 implemented in the state of Pennsylvania on prenatal smoking and infant health. Using a regression discontinuity method, it shows this smoking age of 21 reduces the prenatal daily cigarette consumption by 15 percent and lowers the incidence of low birth weight infants by 19 percent. These findings shed new light on the current political debate over raising the smoking age. © 2014 EEA.