Heated tobacco product use and its relationship to quitting combustible cigarettes in Korean adults

Objective We assessed the prevalence of, and factors associated with, heated tobacco product (HTP) use and analysed the association between HTP use and quitting combustible cigarettes (CCs) in Korean adults. Methods We conducted an online survey with 7,000 adults (males, 2,300; females, 4,700; ages 20-69) out of 70,000 age-, sex- and provincial-distribution-matched individuals based on 2018 national population statistics. Females were oversampled because the prevalence of tobacco product use is very low among women in Korea. Chi-square tests were used for bivariate analyses, and odds ratios were assessed after adjusting for sociodemographic variables. Results The prevalence of current CC, electronic cigarette (EC), and HTP use was 24.8% (males, 40.4%; females, 9.3%), 6.8% (males, 10.1%; females, 3.4%), and 10.2% (males, 16.2%; females, 4.3%), respectively. Among the 574 current HTP users, 77 (13.4%) were HTP-only users and >80% were either dual users of HTP and CC/EC, or triple users of HTP, EC, and CC. Among the current CC users, the odds of having attempted to quit CCs in the past year were greater among EC-only users (aOR 2.92; 95% CI 1.81-4.69) and dual users of HTPs and ECs (aOR 8.42; 95% CI 4.85-14.62) than among non-HTP and non-EC users. Among 2,121 ever CC smokers, the likelihood of being a former CC smoker was 0.19 (95% CI 0.15-0.24) for HTP users, 0.29 (95% CI 0.20-0.42) for EC users, and 0.03 (95% CI 0.01-0.06) for users of both HTPs and ECs compared with non-HTP and non-EC users. Conclusion EC-only use and dual use of HTPs and ECs were associated with increased attempts to quit CCs; however, HTP and EC use was associated with lower odds of CC smoking abstinence.

Automated summary

The study found that the prevalence of combustible cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, and heated tobacco products among Korean adults were 24.8%, 6.8%, and 10.2% respectively. The use of HTP and EC alone or in combination was associated with increased attempts to quit smoking, while HTP and EC use was associated with lower odds of smoking abstinence.