The Ong Lab
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

Tobacco Control

I am an expert on the economic impact of policies that reduce secondhand smoke exposure.  My work is cited by the 2006 Surgeon General’s Report on The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke that demonstrate an economic impact of policies that reduce secondhand smoke exposure. In addition to my work evaluating smoke-free workplace regulations, my work on smoke-free multi-unit housing policies was the first large scale systematic evaluation of costs from the perspective of property owners.  

  • Marco Huesch, Truls Ostbye, Michael Ong.  Measuring the impact of policy interventions at the population level: some methodological concerns.  Health Economics, 2012 Oct; 21(10):1234-49. PMID: 21887723.
  • Michael Ong, Allison Diamant, Qiong Zhou, Hye-Youn Park, Robert Kaplan. Estimates of Smoking-Related Property Costs in California Multi-Unit Housing.  American Journal of Public Health, 2012 Mar;102(3):490-3. Epub 2011 August 18. PMCID: PMC3487653.
  • Michael Ong, Stanton Glantz.  Free nicotine replacement therapy programs vs. implementing smoke-free workplaces:  a cost-effectiveness comparison.  American Journal of Public Health 2005; 95(6): 969-975.  PMCID:PMC1449293
  • Michael Ong, Stanton Glantz. Cardiovascular health and economic effects of smoke-free workplaces, American Journal of Medicine 2004; 117(1):32-38. PMID: 15210386.

 

I am an expert in evaluating how populations that continue to have high smoking prevalence can quit smoking, particularly through health care provider efforts.  I have conducted studies regarding smokers with alcohol, drug, or mental disorders, which comprise 40% of all current smokers in the United States; in China, whose total number of smokers exceeds the entire United States population; and among nondaily smokers, which comprise a significant proportion of all smokers in the United States.  

  • Michael Ong, Qiong Zhou, Hai-Yen Sung.   Sensitivity to cigarette prices among individuals with alcohol, drug, or mental disorders.  American Journal of Public Health, 2010 Jul;100(7):1243-5. Epub 2010 May 13.  
  • Michael Ong, Qiong Zhou, Hai-Yen Sung. Primary Care Providers Advising Smokers to Quit: Comparing Effectiveness Between Those With and Without Alcohol, Drug, or Mental Disorders. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 2011 Dec;13(12):1193-201.
  • Yuan Jiang, Michael Ong, Elisa Tong, Yan Yang, Yi Nan, Quan Gan, Teh-wei Hu. Chinese physicians and their smoking knowledge, attitudes, and practices. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2007 Jul;33(1):15-22. PMID: 1752306; PMCID: PMC2800817
  • Elisa Tong, Michael Ong, Eric Vittinghoff, Eliseo Pérez-Stable. Nondaily smokers should be asked and advised to quit. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2006 Jan;30(1):23-30. PMID: 16414420.