Tobacco growers' knowledge of revenue distribution and foreign prices: implications for health education

This study examined tobacco growers' knowledge of tobacco economics, particularly their knowledge of how tobacco revenue is distributed and their knowledge of the price of foreign tobacco. Tobacco growers (n = 1236) from 14 tobacco-dependent counties in North Carolina were interviewed by telephone and asked to estimate how much of a hypothetical $2.00 for a pack of cigarettes is received by each of four market segments: tobacco growers, retailers, government and manufacturers. Respondents were also asked to estimate the price of foreign raw tobacco. USDA data were used to assess the accuracy of the respondents' estimates. Respondents were within the 'correct' range as follows: growers 31%, retailers 15%, government 23%, manufacturers 43% and foreign prices 25%. Knowledge was positively related to education and farm size for the growers' share and foreign tobacco prices. Knowledge of the government's and manufacturers' shares was positively associated with younger age. North Carolina growers lacked knowledge of the distribution of the tobacco dollar. This may influence the positions that growers take on health policy and provide significant opportunities for health educators to become involved in grassroots efforts to educate growers.