Assessment of Changes in Alcohol and Cigarette Consumption by Different Social Groups and Factors Determining These Changes

Alcohol and tobacco addiction is an acute socio-economic problem in Russia, the consequences of which affect not only the health and well-being of the individual, but also his loved ones, as well as the country’s economy as a whole. Partial or complete loss of a person’s ability to work damages the economy both through direct costs of treating patients and indirect consequences associated with increased poverty, the need to redistribute budget resources, a reduction in the number of workers in the labor market and a decrease in tax revenues. Thus, according to experts from the Skolkovo Innovation Center, the annual treatment of smokers costs 1.1 trillion. rubles, which is approximately 8% of healthcare costs. The purpose of this study is to analyze the socio-economic factors influencing alcohol and tobacco consumption, taking into account consumption patterns in different social groups and temporal changes in consumption. To achieve this goal, theoretical and econometric studies regarding alcohol and cigarette consumption were reviewed. An assessment of differences in the consumption of addictive goods by different social groups using the Heckman model using data from the RLMS of the National Research University Higher School of Economics revealed the most risky categories of the population susceptible to alcohol and nicotine addictions. The work also examined the relationship between alcohol and cigarette consumption using a multivariate probit model. In conclusion, measures were proposed to improve state social and regulatory policies in the field of accessibility of addictive goods.