Mental Health Disparities in Tobacco Use
While tobacco use has long been the leading cause of preventable mortality, its burden is especially high among people with mental illness: in the US, smoking is responsible for a third of deaths among adults with serious psychological distress (SPD). While smoking rates have fallen precipitously since the late-1990s, they did not decline among people with SPD until after 2010. This project seeks to understand what drives the more recent decline in smoking among those with mental illness and identify policy levers to ensure that it continues. To that end, we will assess state and local tobacco and mental health policies’ effects on tobacco product use, focusing on young adults with SPD. Research assistance is sought to match policy data to respondent-level data in Stata, generate tables and figures, and carry out analyses under Dr. Friedman’s guidance, along with other tasks that might come up related to this project.
Requisite Skills and Qualifications:
A basic knowledge of Stata (proficiency preferred but not required), coursework in statistics and/or econometrics, attention to detail, and the ability to work independently.