DO DRINKERS KNOW WHEN TO SAY WHEN? AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF DRUNK DRIVING

This paper presents empirical evidence that an individual's decision to drive while drunk is negatively affected by the expected full price of driving drunk. The analysis uses a unique data set containing information on self-reported drunk driving matched to state-level drunk driving policies as well as to state excise taxes on beer. These are hypothesized and found to affect drunk driving. Further, we find interesting racial differences but surprisingly small differences by gender in the effect of socioeconomic and policy variables on drunk driving propensities.     

Behaviorally caused loss of health and the use of medical care

This paper extends the analysis of the demand for medical care to an aspect which has previously been ignored: variations in expected, as opposed to experienced, cause of losses of health and the current use of medical care. Losses of health which cannot be prevented by the prior use of medical care are hypothesized to decrease the use of medical care by reducing the rate of return to investments in health, ceteris paribus. The reduction in the rate of return occurs both because these losses curtail the length of the stream of benefits to the use of medical care and because prior use of medical care is not effective in reducing the occurrence of these types of loss. Empirical findings support this hypothesis. Results suggest that differences in expected losses may account for some of the differences in utilization of medical care by sex.     

The effects of family stressors on substance use initiation in adolescence

Smoking and drinking are critical problems in adolescence that have long-term adverse impacts on health and socio-economic factors. We examine the extent to which family stresses influence the timing of initiation of smoking and drinking. Using national panel data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS) we capitalize on the survey design and use school-level fixed effects that control for the local environments, including prices of cigarettes and alcohol. In addition, we narrow our control group to classmates who will experience a similar stressor in the future. We find that a composite measure of family stressors when young increases the likelihood of initiating tobacco and alcohol use, with much of the impact attributable to parental divorce. In our baseline estimates, the composite stress measure is associated with a 30% increase in the likelihood of smoking and a 20% increase in drinking. When we control for multiple sources of confounding, the impact shrinks and remains significant for smoking but not for drinking. We conclude that studies which do not control for confounding are likely to significantly overestimate the impact of family stress on substance use. Our approach helps to move the literature forward by separating causal results from spurious associations.     

The simulation of industrial robot systems

This paper describes the GRASP computer aided design system for modelling and evaluating industrial robot workplaces. GRASP satisfies a range of simulation needs within the context of designing, implementing and operating industrial robotic systems. The GRASP software may be used to investigate robots operating by themselves or, more likely, as part of an integrated cell. Facilities within GRASP assist workplace layout, position and velocity evaluations, clash detection and co-ordination between items. A robot library exists and is being extended, and an embryo off-line programming facility has been used under restricted conditions. GRASP has been used to help solve a wide range of practical industrial robot problems and has proved itself technically, and also as an educational tool, by showing how a proposed system would operate. The paper describes the facilities within GRASP.     

How do we capture 15 years of complex and meaningful data about young people's lives?

Abstract

This paper describes the development of a method of data collection, which captures the complexity of living situations, family dynamics and key life events of teenagers. This ‘Life History Calendar’ was adapted from earlier life history calendar methods for a multidisciplinary intergenerational study. The new calendar is able to record details of 15 years of teenage participants’ lives and can be administered to teenagers and their parents to show changes over individual lives and difference between individuals in a cohort. Referring to some preliminary data, we show that the calendar is a practical and effective method of data collection, which will be useful to researchers and practitioners working with young people and their families.     

TO “VAPE” OR SMOKE? EXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCE ON ADULT SMOKERS

A growing share of the U.S. population uses e‐cigarettes but the optimal regulation of these controversial products remains an open question. We conduct a discrete choice experiment to investigate how adult tobacco cigarette smokers' demand for e‐cigarettes and tobacco cigarettes varies by four attributes: (1) whether e‐cigarettes are considered healthier than tobacco cigarettes, (2) the effectiveness of e‐cigarettes as a cessation device, (3) bans on use in public places, and (4) price. We find that adult smokers' demand for e‐cigarettes is motivated more by health concerns than by the desire to avoid smoking bans or higher prices. (JEL C35, I12, I18)     

The impact of early occupational choice on health behaviors

Occupational choice is a significant input into workers’ health investments, operating in a manner that can be either health-promoting or health-depreciating. Recent studies have highlighted the potential importance of initial occupational choice on subsequent outcomes pertaining to morbidity. This study is the first to assess the existence and strength of a causal relationship between initial occupational choice at labor entry and subsequent health behaviors and habits. We utilize the Panel Study of Income Dynamics to analyze the effect of first occupation, as identified by industry category and blue collar work, on subsequent health outcomes relating to obesity, alcohol misuse, smoking, and physical activity in 2005. Our findings suggest blue collar work early in life is associated with increased probabilities of obesity, at-risk alcohol consumption, and smoking, and increased physical activity later in life, although effects may be masked by unobserved heterogeneity. The weight of the evidence bearing from various methodologies, which account for non-random unobserved selection, indicates that at least part of this effect is consistent with a causal interpretation. These estimates also underscore the potential durable impact of early labor market experiences on later health.     

The association of smoking with drinking pattern may provide opportunities to reduce smoking among students

There is evidence that smoking and alcohol consumption are paired behaviours among university students, but we know little about how New Zealand students engage in these behaviours. We estimated prevalence of daily and occasional smoking among university students, and associations of smoking with drinking patterns, demographics and smokefree policies of the university. This research was conducted with 2822 university students, aged 17–25, from five New Zealand universities who participated in an online health survey in 2013. Fourteen percent reported they currently smoke occasionally, and 3% reported smoking on a daily basis. Increasing age, living situation, drinking more often, and drinking more alcohol during drinking occasions were all associated with greater levels of smoking. Understanding patterns of smoking in relation to alcohol consumption may help efforts to further reduce smoking prevalence. Specifically, policy makers should consider approaches that de-couple tobacco and alcohol consumption, such as expanding the smokefree perimeter of bars and disallowing the sale of tobacco at premises licensed to sell alcohol.     

The dynamic,complex and diverse living and care arrangements of young New Zealanders: implications for policy

The living arrangements of young people in New Zealand are diverse and often complex. In this article we report the range of care and living arrangements of 209 15-year-old New Zealanders, 47 of whom identified as Māori. These young people were participants in the second generation of a cohort study. Data were collected from their parents via a life history calendar and analysed for variety and consistency of care arrangements, household membership and transitions. Few participants had a consistent pattern of parental care arrangements and most had experienced multiple changes in household composition and frequent changes of address. We conclude that the whānau/family lives of many young New Zealanders are complex and dynamic. These observations contrast with the conventional notions of family life that form the basis for New Zealand’s family policies. We argue that social policies and services impacting on young people need to reflect the lived reality of young people if they are to meet young people’s needs.