Dataset on discarded cigarette packs in Mongolia

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Tobacco Control
• Illicit Trade Analysis

Background:

• Mongolia faces challenges with illicit cigarette trade.
• Understanding the cigarette market is crucial for effective tobacco control policies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To document the characteristics of discarded cigarette packs in Mongolia.
• To provide data for analyzing the impact of tax policies on illicit cigarette trade.

Main Methods:

• Collection of 19,374 discarded cigarette packs across three rounds (2017-2018) in Ulaanbaatar and two provinces.
• Detailed data collection on 25 variables per pack, including brand, manufacturer, tax stamps, and health warnings.
• Dataset made publicly available via the DataFirst data repository.

Main Results:

• The dataset provides a comprehensive overview of cigarette pack variations.
• Data supports research on the relationship between tax increases and illicit cigarette markets.
• Identified key pack characteristics relevant to tobacco product regulation.

Conclusions:

• The documented cigarette pack data is a valuable resource for tobacco control research.
• Findings contribute to understanding market dynamics and policy impacts in Mongolia.
• Publicly available data facilitates further investigation into tobacco use and trade.