The cost of cigarette smoking in New Zealand

Attributable risks of mortality and morbidity occasioned by current or past cigarette smoking are applied to recent mortality and hospital morbidity data. The 1981 census data on smoking, the hospital discharge data from 1984 and mortality since 1980 are analysed showing that 1 in 5 deaths of men aged 15 to 60 can be attributed to smoking, as can 1 in 9 deaths of women 15 to 60. In all 4137 deaths per year are attributable to smoking. Each year 4815 years of working life (15 to 60) are lost due to cigarette smoking induced premature mortality. Excess hospital use caused by cigarette smoking is estimated to cost more than $81 million (in 1986 dollars).