Successful Smoking Cessation among Women Smokers Based on Utilizing National Smoking Cessation Service Type in Korea.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the successful smoking cessation across different national smoking cessation services. METHODS: This study included data that had been previously entered into the integrated information system for smoking cessation services and comprised 144,688 participants after excluding missing data. These clinics provide face-to-face counseling, phone calls, text messages, and e-mail services for six months and nine sessions. RESULTS: The women-only program had the lowest success rate (11.3%). Compared with the women-only program, the six-month success rate of smoking cessation clinic at public health centers (OR = 3.72, CI = [3.52, 3.92]), visiting-type smoking cessation clinics (OR = 2.97, CI = [2.79, 3.16]), the residential 4 -night 5-day program (OR = 7.79, CI = [6.49, 9.35]), and a program for inpatients (OR = 2.36, CI = [1.89, 2.94]) showed a significant increase. CONCLUSIONS: Emotional labor workers who participated in the women-only program had low smoking cessation success rates, while those who participated in the residential 4-night 5-day program had high success rates.

The Utilization of National Tobacco Cessation Services among Female Smokers and the Need for a Gender-Responsive Approach.

Despite the steadily increasing prevalence of female smoking, gender-responsive tobacco cessation services have not been widely provided worldwide. The purpose of this study is to identify factors associated with the use of tobacco cessation services among female tobacco product users in Korea from a national perspective. We performed a logistic regression analysis using data from 663 female smokers; 11.0% of female smokers had used government-supported smoking cessation services. A logistic regression model showed a statistically significant association between the utilization of smoking cessation services and a history of pregnancy and childbirth, depression, current use of heated tobacco products and multiple tobacco products, parental smoking status and receiving advice to quit. With regard to the motivation ruler, those in their 50s reported a higher importance than those in their 20s. Weight gain concerns when quitting smoking were the lowest among the participants aged 19-29. The need to develop gender-specific smoking cessation programs is the highest among the participants aged 39-49 and the lowest among those aged 19-29. This study suggests several factors related to the utilization of national health services among female smokers. Further studies considering gender-specific needs for the development of gender-responsive tobacco cessation support are needed.

Association of secondhand smoke exposure with allergic multimorbidity in Korean adolescents.

This study aimed to examine the health effect of secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure at home, school, and/or public places on allergic multimorbidity using nationwide data among school-attending adolescents in Korea. Allergic multimorbidity was defined as two or more coexisting allergic diagnoses of asthma, allergic rhinitis, and/or atopic dermatitis during the past 12 months. A multinomial logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association of SHS exposure and allergic multimorbidity. Of the study participants, 24.3% were diagnosed as having any allergic disease currently and 66.3% reported SHS exposure. Any SHS exposure that includes public places conferred increased odds of atopic dermatitis in non-current smokers (adjusted odds ratio 1.21-1.46; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.10-1.66). Moreover, when controlling for current smoking additionally, SHS exposure at the three sites was 1.37 and 1.96 times more likely to be associated with allergic single and multiple morbidities, respectively (95% CI 1.26-1.49 and 1.65-2.31, respectively). In conclusion, this study found positive associations of SHS exposure with single or multiple allergic morbidity compared to no exposure at all. Further studies with longitudinal designs and objective measurement of SHS exposure and allergic diagnosis are warranted.

The Use of Heated Tobacco Products is Associated with Asthma, Allergic Rhinitis, and Atopic Dermatitis in Korean Adolescents.

The increasing use of new and emerging tobacco products has raised public health concern worldwide. This study aimed to assess the association between tobacco product use and the risk of allergic diseases. We used cross-sectional data of 58,336 students aged 12-18 years from the 2018 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey. This study considered three tobacco products, namely cigarettes, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), and heated tobacco products. Descriptive analyses, as well as simple and multinomial logistic regression analyses with a complex sampling design, were performed. Multiple tobacco use had an association with the risk of each allergic disease. Use of each tobacco product was significantly associated with an increased risk of multi-morbidity of asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis. Furthermore, lifetime use of each tobacco product was associated with the prevalence of atopic dermatitis. This highlights the importance of paying close attention to smoking by adolescents and its association with allergy epidemics. Future research should consider intensity of smoking and/or severity of allergic symptoms.

Association of the Use of a Heated Tobacco Product with Perceived Stress, Physical Activity, and Internet Use in Korean Adolescents: A 2018 National Survey.

The awareness and use of the recently introduced heated product in the global tobacco market is rapidly increasing. Few studies have investigated the association of this product's use with health-related factors. To examine the association of the heated tobacco product (HTP)'s use with perceived stress, physical activity, and internet use, we analyzed data from the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey using multinomial logistic regression models. The participants included 60,040 students from middle school and high school. There were significant associations between high perceived stress and cigarette use only, dual use of cigarette and e-cigarette, triple use of cigarette, e-cigarette, and HTP; a negative association between HTP's use and perceived stress; positive association between physical activity and tobacco use; and not using the internet significantly increased the odds of use of all types of tobacco products. A smoking prevention program, tailored to meet the needs of different types of tobacco product users, is recommended. A program aimed at not only increasing awareness of perceived risk but also decreasing perceived benefits of risky behaviors, should also be considered. Further research using a longitudinal design to test the causal relationship of tobacco product use with perceived stress, physical activity, and internet use is warranted.