SMOKING PATTERNS AND CESSATION MOTIVATION AMONG KOREAN ADOLESCENTS: ISEE-236

Abstract

Although adolescent smoking is increasing, there is a concomitant lack of research on effective adolescent smoking cessation. The purpose of study is to describe smoking behaviors of adolescents and identify cessation motivations among smoking students.

We surveyed 2,695 adolescents at one middle school and two high schools in Yangcheon-Gu, Seoul, Korea during December 2002. We surveyed through the self-administrated questionnaire including the age at onset of smoking, reason for starting smoking, smoking patterns during the past 30 days, and cessation attempts and motivations.

The students who reported having tried smoking were 861 (32.9%) and current smokers were 278 (10.3%). In regard to smoking experience, there was gender difference (boys 37.2% vs. girls 28.6%, P < 0.05). Many students (70.4%) began smoking at the age from thirteen to sixteen years and smoked fewer than 5 cigarettes per day. We found that many smokers (77.2%) had previously attempted smoking cessation. The important reasons for trying to quit smoking were that smoking makes health bad (62.0%) and persons around me (i.e., parents, brothers(s), sister(s), friends) recommend me to stop smoking (22.9%). The biggest obstacles to quitting cigarette smoking were the withdrawal symptom and significant others smoke.

There is a need for health education and specific strategies to help adolescents stop smoking.