Secular trends in adult male smoking from 1992 to 2006 in South Korea: Age-specific changes with evolving tobacco-control policies

Park, E.J.; Koh, H.K.; Kwon, J.W.; Suh, M.K.; Kim, H.; Cho, S.I.

doi:10.1016/j.puhe.2009.09.007

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Volume 123, Issue 10 , Pages 657-664, October 2009

Secular trends in adult male smoking from 1992 to 2006 in South Korea: Age-specific changes with evolving tobacco-control policies

E.J. Park
- School of Public Health and Institute of Health and Environment, Seoul National University, Yeongun-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 110-460, Republic of Korea
H.K. Koh
- Division of Public Health Practice, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
J.W. Kwon
- School of Pharmacy, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
M.K. Suh
- Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, Seoul, Republic of Korea
H. Kim
- School of Public Health and Institute of Health and Environment, Seoul National University, Yeongun-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 110-460, Republic of Korea
S.I. Cho
- School of Public Health and Institute of Health and Environment, Seoul National University, Yeongun-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 110-460, Republic of Korea
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +82 2 880 2583; fax: +82 2 882 8632.

Received 27 February 2009; received in revised form 22 August 2009; accepted 15 September 2009. published online 06 November 2009.

Summary

Objectives

For years, South Korea has had one of the highest levels of tobacco use among males in the world, but a steady decline has been observed recently. This study examined how the smoking behaviour of male adults changed with age after the implementation of national tobacco control policies in 1995.

Study design

Repeated cross-sectional study using a national survey.

Methods

Data were obtained from the 1992, 1995, 1999, 2003 and 2006 results of a repeated cross-sectional survey, the Social Statistics Survey. The smoking status of adult men was compared before (1992 and 1995 surveys) and after (1999, 2003 and 2006 surveys) the implementation of government-directed tobacco control policies using graphical methods and logistic regression analysis.

Results

After the implementation of tobacco control policies, the percentage of current male smokers decreased while the percentage of former smokers increased markedly. Smoking prevalence among older men (aged 50 years or more) reduced initially, and this decline was more pronounced after the tobacco control policies were implemented. Smoking prevalence in younger men (aged 30–49 years) declined in 2003 when more comprehensive tobacco control policies were implemented.

Conclusions

This study suggests that comprehensive tobacco control policies in South Korea reduced smoking prevalence among males, initially among older men and later among both older men and younger men.

Keywords: Cigarette smoking, Smoking prevalence, Tobacco control policies, Age group