Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 13, 2025

Inverse Probability of Treatment Weighting Propensity Score using the Military Health System Data Repository and National Death Index
Published on: January 8, 2020
Estimating Effects of Wages on Smoking Prevalence Using Labor Unions as Instrumental Variables.
J Paul Leigh1, Bozhidar T Chakalov
1From the Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Davis, California (J.P.L., B.T.C.); Center for Healthcare Policy and Research, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, California (J.P.L.); Center for Poverty & Inequality Research, University of California, Davis, California (J.P.L.).
Higher wages, boosted by labor unions, significantly decrease smoking rates. This highlights the role of economic factors and unions as crucial social determinants of health.
Area of Science:
- Socioeconomic Determinants of Health
- Labor Economics
- Public Health Policy
Background:
- Smoking remains a significant public health concern with complex determinants.
- Economic factors, such as wages, are increasingly recognized as influential in health behaviors.
- Labor unions play a role in wage negotiation and may indirectly impact health outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the causal effect of wages on smoking prevalence.
- To utilize labor union membership and right-to-work laws as instrumental variables for wages.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of four waves of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (2013-2019).
- Inclusion of a large sample of workers aged 18-70, with subsamples for different job sectors.
- Application of instrumental variable regression using unionization and state right-to-work laws.
Main Results:
- A $1 increase in hourly wages was associated with a 1.3 percentage point decrease in smoking prevalence.
- Significant reductions in smoking were observed for blue-collar, clerical, and private-sector workers.
- Less pronounced and statistically insignificant effects were found for public-sector and white-collar workers.
Conclusions:
- Labor unions contribute to increased wages, which in turn lead to reduced smoking.
- Wages and labor unions are significant, yet often overlooked, social determinants of health.
- Policy implications may involve leveraging economic factors to improve public health outcomes.
More Related Videos
06:39Electroencephalographic, Heart Rate, and Galvanic Skin Response Assessment for an Advertising Perception Study: Application to Antismoking Public Service Announcements
Published on: August 28, 2017
10:37Automated Measurement of Pulmonary Emphysema and Small Airway Remodeling in Cigarette Smoke-exposed Mice
Published on: January 16, 2015
Related Concept Videos
Statistical Methods for Analyzing Epidemiological Data
Friedman Two-way Analysis of Variance by Ranks
Bias in Epidemiological Studies
Hypothesis Test for Test of Independence
H0: The two variables (factors)...
Confounding in Epidemiological Studies
Longitudinal Studies