Impact of the Spanish smoke-free laws on cigarette sales by brands, 2000-2021: Evidence from a club convergence approach.

INTRODUCTION: In January 2006, the Spanish government enacted a tobacco control law that banned the advertising, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco. In January 2011, further legislation on this matter was adopted to provide a more restrictive specification of the ban. In this study, we analyze the effect produced on cigarette sales by these two prohibitions. We address this problem using a cluster time-series analysis to test whether the sales of cigarettes by brands have been homogenized with the prohibition of advertising, promotion, and sponsorship. METHODS: The data source used was the official data on legal sales of cigarettes by brands in Spain, from January 2005 to December 2021 (excluding the Canary Islands and the Autonomous Communities of the cities of Ceuta and Melilla). To achieve our objective, we used log(t) test statistics to check if there is global convergence in the three selected periods according to the regulatory changes that have occurred in Spain (2005-2021, 2005-2010 and 2011-2021). Second, once absolute convergence is rejected, we applied a clustering algorithm to test for the existence of subgroup convergence. RESULTS: The cigarette brands that have been marketed during the period 2005-2021 (n=40), can only be grouped into three groups according to the behavior of their sales. When we focus on the period 2005-2010 (n=74), cigarette brands are grouped into five groups according to their sales behavior. Finally, the cigarette brands marketed during the period 2011-2021 (n=67) are grouped into three groups according to the temporal evolution of their sales. These results suggest a greater homogenization of cigarette sales after the application of the law of January 2011. CONCLUSIONS: Act 42/2010 (total ban on tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship actions) was associated with greater homogenization of cigarette sales than the application of Act 28/2005 (partial ban). This finding supports what is established in the previous literature that indicates that Act 42/2010 provided a more restrictive specification of the ban than Act 28/2005.

The role of bone morphology of the greater tuberosity and lateral acromion on subacromial space during scaption: a three-dimensional dynamic simulation analysis.

BACKGROUND: The bone morphology of the greater tuberosity and lateral acromion plays a central role in subacromial impingement syndrome. The critical shoulder angle (CSA) and greater tuberosity angle (GTA) are two-dimensional measurement parameters that have been validated to evaluate it radiologically. These markers are, however, static and don't consider the dynamic effect of glenohumeral motion. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to better understand the biomechanics in subacromial impingement with a dynamic simulation based on a validated 3D biomechanical model coupling joint kinematics and 3D reconstructed computed tomography. STUDY DESIGN & METHODS: Sixty-one patients were included in this study: a case group of 44 patients with degenerative rotator cuff tears involving only the supraspinatus, and a control group of 17 without a rotator cuff tear. Patients with previous surgeries, traumatic cuff tears, and cuff tear arthropathy were excluded. CSA, GTA, and impingement-free range of motion (IF-ROM) of the glenohumeral joint in scaption were calculated. Correlation tests were used to determine the relationship between ROM and CSA, GTA, and combined CSA and GTA values. RESULTS: CSA and GTA were significantly higher in the rotator cuff tear group (p = 0.001 and < 0.001), while IF-ROM was significantly higher in the control group (p = 0.001). There was no overall correlation between CSA and GTA (R = 0.02, p = 0.8). Individual correlation between both angles with IF-ROM was negatively weak for CSA (R = -0.4, p < 0.001) and negatively moderate for GTA and IF-ROM (R = -0.5, p < 0.001). However, combining both angles resulted in a negatively high correlation with IF-ROM (R = -0.7, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Subacromial space narrowing during scaption is highly correlated to the cumulative values of GTA and CSA. These findings suggest that the combined bony morphology of the lateral acromion and greater tuberosity plays an important role in subacromial impingement. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.

[The influence of cigarette price on the cigarette consumption in Spain: a Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index analysis from 1957 to 2018.] / Influencia del precio de los cigarrillos en España: Un análisis de descomposición Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index desde 1957 hasta 2018.

OBJECTIVE: The price elasticity of tobacco emerges as an instrument for minimizing tobacco consumption, sustained by the idea that although tobacco has an addictive nature, an increase in its price causes a decrease in its consumption. However, the price is not the only component of tobacco consumption studied in the literature. Some studies include income as an explanatory component of tobacco consumption. These studies conclude that income affects tobacco consumption positively. METHODS: In this paper, the factors that affect the consumption of cigarettes are measured for the Spanish market using time series data from 1957 to 2018 and by applying the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index LMDI method. The novel application of this method to this body of literature allows us to verify how effective the price policies that the government has implemented against the consumption of cigarettes have been. RESULTS: Our results reveal that income is a determining factor that sometimes nullifies the effect of policies when governments increase the price of cigarettes by taxes. In order to reduce the prevalence of smokers, the increase in the price of tobacco must consider the effect of income on consumption, so that it does not cancel the effects of health policy. CONCLUSIONS: It is strongly recommended that tax authorities consider these results before applying anti-smoking policies. If the authorities do not do so, it is possible that they will not obtain the expected results in terms of minimized the cigarette consumption.

OBJETIVO: La elasticidad precio de los productos de tabaco es un instrumento para minimizar su consumo. Esta idea se basa en que, aunque el tabaco tiene una naturaleza adictiva, un aumento en su precio provoca una disminución en su consumo. Sin embargo, el precio no es el único componente del consumo de tabaco estudiado en la literatura. Algunos estudios incluyen la renta como un componente explicativo del consumo de tabaco. Estos estudios concluyen que la renta de las personas afecta positivamente el consumo de tabaco. METODOS: En este artículo, se analizaron los factores que afectan al consumo de cigarrillos usando series temporales desde 1957 hasta 2018 y aplicando el método de descomposición LMDI (Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index). La novedosa aplicación de este método al citado conjunto de datos permitió verificar cómo de efectivas han sido las políticas de precios que el gobierno ha implementado para disminuir el consumo de cigarrillos. RESULTADOS: Los resultados sugieren que la renta de las personas es un factor determinante que a veces anula el efecto de las políticas cuando los gobiernos aumentan el precio de los cigarrillos vía impuestos. Para reducir la prevalencia de fumadores, el aumento en el precio del tabaco debe considerar también el efecto de la renta de las personas en el consumo, puesto que éstos a veces anulan los efectos de políticas sanitarias consistentes en aumentar el precio de los cigarrillos. CONCLUSIONES: Los gobiernos deben tener en cuenta que la renta de las personas es un factor clave cuando se aplican políticas de precio frente al tabaquismo.

The Price Elasticity of Cigarettes: New Evidence From Spanish Regions, 2002-2016.

INTRODUCTION: There is an agreement in the literature that tobacco price elasticity is around -0.4 for given location. Furthermore, works only focus separately, on the temporal dimension or the spatial dimension, however, there are studies that show the existence of spillovers between different geographical areas due to the spatial dependence in tobacco consumption. The novelty of this study is the measurement of the effect that neighboring regions have on the price elasticity of cigarettes. AIMS AND METHODS: This study simultaneously analyzed, first, a dynamic spatial model used to measure the price elasticity of cigarettes in the short term and long term of the 47 provinces that make up the Spanish territory, detailing the influence of neighbors. Second, given the spatial arrangement of the elasticities observed in the provinces, we can detect behaviors typical of large-scale illicit trade and cross-border purchasing since geographical location can be an important factor in smuggling, and politicians should take this into account when making price policies. RESULTS: Results reveal that the consumption of the regions is influenced by the consumption of the neighboring regions in the same period. The price elasticity of cigarettes in the long term exceeds in many cases, in absolute value, unity. This result is novel because tobacco has historically been treated as an inelastic demand good. Finally, we found that the regions that are most sensitive to price are those bordering France and Gibraltar or tourist regions, demonstrating the effect that smuggling has on the behavior of the regions. CONCLUSIONS: These results are important because the price in Spain is set by the central government and fiscal policies regarding the price of tobacco can have different effects in different regions. This study has shown that the consumption of cigarettes is influenced by the neighboring regions and also measured different sensitivities for each region. Regional cooperation in tobacco control policies may have better effects than the elaborated policies based on historical information. IMPLICATIONS: Policy makers should consider that tobacco could be an elastic good in the long term and that cooperation between countries in terms of price differential should be taken to avoid tobacco smuggling. The allocation of resources to control smoking should consider the special dependence shown in this report. Also, academics should account for spatial dependence to measure tobacco consumption instead of temporal analysis.

Regional unemployment and cyclical sensitivity in Spain.

Unemployment has been routinely used as a measure of the economic cycle. In addition, regional unemployment rates are characterized by, among other factors, their relation to the national unemployment rate. In this regard, the literature on regional sensitivity to the economic cycle has analyzed how fluctuations in the national unemployment rate affect the regions. In recent years, due to the great impact of past crises, the development of new econometric techniques and the possible arrival of new crises, the debate on how sensitive regions are to the economic cycle has reopened. In Spain, this debate is necessary since unemployment rates are very high and display a great deal of heterogeneity. We analyzed regional unemployment rates in Spain between 1978 and 2018 through a recently developed dynamic spatial econometric model with common factors and found that some regions are more sensitive than others to the economic cycle. The results seem to show that in Spain, the sensitivity to the economic cycle displays a geographical pattern where the most sensitive regions are those located on the Mediterranean coast. Specifically, we find that the sensitivity to the economic cycle of unemployment is not determined by the fact that regions have high or low unemployment; it seems that geographical location plays an important role. These results can be useful for the national and regional governments when they implement countercyclical policies.

Asymmetric behavior of tobacco consumption in Spain across the business cycle: a long-term regional analysis.

Many theoretical and empirical studies have analyzed the relationship between the economic cycle and tobacco consumption using the GDP and unemployment rates as the key variables for measuring economic phases. However, few studies focus on the pathways that cause tobacco consumption to be linked with the economic cycle, and there are no studies analyzing the heterogeneous effects underlying this relationship across nations and regions. This article explores the relationship and its pathways in 16 Spanish regions for the period 1989-2018. To this end, we apply a Granger causality analysis based on the augmented vector autoregressive (VAR) model in levels and extra lags. This method provides more efficient and robust results than the standard VAR model, which can lead to biased results with limited samples, especially in a region-by-region analysis. The empirical results suggest that the impact of the business cycle on tobacco consumption is heterogeneous and specific to each region. In addition, although recession phases cause a decline in tobacco consumption in Spain, in line with the literature, this procyclical relationship does not occur for expansion phases in all regions. One of the main findings of this article is that in expansion phases, tobacco consumption is sensitive to GDP, while in recession phases, tobacco consumption is affected by unemployment. National and regional governments should consider these results when they develop smoking control policies because homogeneous strategies can lead to heterogeneous results. Thus, the results can be useful for policymakers dealing with tobacco control strategies.

Stents farmacológicos vs. stents não-farmacológicos no tratamento de enxertos de veia safena / Drug-eluting stents vs. bare-netal stents in saphenous vein graft lesions

Introdução: Embora os stents farmacológicos tenham reduzido acentuadamente a reestenose e a necessidade de novas revascularizações na maioria dos cenários clínicos e angiográficos, o benefício desses dispositivos no tratamento de lesões em enxertos de veia safena (EVS) ainda precisa ser definido. O objetivo deste estudo foi comparar a incidência de eventos cardíacos adversos maiores (ECAM) entre stents farmacológicos e stents não-farmacológicos em lesões em EVS em pacientes não-selecionados. Métodos: Foram incluídos pacientes tratados em dois hospitais terciáriosentre maio de 2006 e janeiro de 2009. O objetivo primário foi comparar a incidência de ECAM entre stents farmacológicos e stents não-farmacológicos durante a hospitalizaçãoe no seguimento a longo prazo. Resultados: No total, foram incluídos, consecutivamente, 308 pacientes, divididos de acordo com o tipo de stent implantado (209 com stents farmacológicos e 99 com stents não-farmacológicos). A média de idade do grupo foi de 68 anos e a dos EVS, de 10,9 anos. Na fase intra-hospitalar, houve tendência para maior incidência de ECAM no grupo que recebeu stents farmacológicos (12% vs. 5,1%; P = 0,06). Até 24 meses, a incidência de ECAM foi equivalente nos dois grupos (17,2% nogrupo stents farmacológicos vs. 18,2% no grupo stents não-farmacológicos; P = 0,87). Trombose do stent definitiva/provável foi semelhante em ambos os grupos (2,3% no grupo stents farmacológicos vs. 2% no grupo stentsnão-farmacológicos; P = 0,94). Conclusões: Nesta série de pacientes complexos do mundo real, não houve preocupação com a segurança a longo prazo relacionada ao uso de stents farmacológicos no tratamento de lesões em EVS, com incidências similares de morte cardíaca/infarto do miocárdio/trombose do stent em ambos os grupos.

Background: Although drug-eluting stents have markedly reduced restenosis and the need for repeat lesion revascularization in the vast majority of clinical and angiographic scenarios, the benefit of these devices for the treatment of saphenous-vein graft (SVG) lesions is yet to be defined. The aim of our study was to compare the rate of major adverse clinical events (MACE) between drug-eluting stentsand bare-metal stents in SVG lesions in non-selected patients. Methods: Patients treated in two tertiary hospitals betweenMay 2006 and January 2009 were included. The primary objective was to compare the incidence of MACE betweendrug-eluting stents and bare-metal stents during hospitalization and in the long-term follow-up. Results: Overall, 308 patients were consecutively enrolled and divided according to the type of stent deployed (209 with drug-eluting stents and 99 with bare-metal stents). Mean age was 68 years and SVG mean age was 10.9 years. In the in-hospital phase there was a trend towards higher MACE in the drug-eluting stents group (12% vs. 5.1%; P = 0.06). The incidence of MACE in up to 24 months was equivalent between groups (17.2%for the drug-eluting stents group vs. 18.2% for the baremetal stents group; P = 0.87). Definite/probable stent thrombosis was similar in both groups (2.3% for the drug-eluting stents group vs. 2% for bare-metal stents group; P = 0.94). Conclusions: In this real world series of complex patients there was no long-term safety concerns related to the use of drug-eluting stents in the treatment of SVG lesions, with similar rates of cardiac death/myocardial infarction/stent thrombosis in both groups.