Ability to Purchase Tobacco Products and Smoking Behavior of Cigarettes, E-cigarettes, and Heated Tobacco Products in Korean Adolescents

Abstract

Objectives: This study investigated the smoking behavior and its association with the availability of tobacco products purchases among Korean adolescents. Methods: The data of the 2019 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey were used (N =57,303). This study assessed 3 tobacco products: cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and heated tobacco products. Smoking behavior including lifetime, current, daily, heavy smoking, and attempting to quit and its association with the availability of tobacco products for purchase was assessed. Results: Overall, 92.9% did not try to purchase tobacco products during the past 30 days, 2.2% found it impossible to purchase, 0.8% could buy with a lot of effort, 1.7% could buy with little effort, and 2.3% could buy easily without any effort. Lifetime smokers were 13.8% (12.7% for cigarettes, 7.4% for e-cigarettes, and 4.9% for heated tobacco products). Among lifetime smokers, the current smoking rates for cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and heated tobacco products were 48.5%, 22.9%, and 19.0%, and the rates were lower in adolescents who responded that it was impossible to buy tobacco products. Among current smokers, the daily smoking rates were lower in adolescents who were found it impossible to buy tobacco products. Conclusions: The ease of access to tobacco products was associated with higher use of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and heated tobacco products and lower attempts to quit smoking in Korean adolescents.