Exploring the Intersection of Tobacco, Alcohol, and Gambling for Türkiye.

Abstract

In literature, there is a lack of multidimensional analyses that examine the co-occurrence of multiple addiction-related behaviors within households. This study aims to fill that gap by identifying the demographic and socioeconomic factors associated with Turkish households in which tobacco use, alcohol consumption, and gambling occur simultaneously, thereby contributing both to academic understanding and to informed policymaking. The study utilizes micro data from the Household Budget Survey conducted by the Turkish Statistical Institute between 2015 and 2019. The probabilities of households engaging in tobacco use, alcohol consumption and gambling behaviors are estimated simultaneously with the Multivariate Probit Model, which also considers correlations among unobservable factors. It has been determined that demographic and socioeconomic factors have separate significant effects on harmful habits. By focusing on the social and cultural dynamics in Türkiye, this study provides insights into harmful habits in households, contains guiding results especially for developing local policies. It has been identified that in Türkiye, deterrent policies for tobacco use should prioritize targeting young, low-educated, high-income males; for alcohol consumption, the focus should be on middle-aged, highly educated, high-income, single males; and for gambling, priority should be given to unemployed, middle-aged, highly educated, high-income, single males.