Increasing Preference for Flavored Tobacco Among Young Generation... Impact on 'First Smoking'

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] The use of flavored cigarettes among the younger generation has increased by more than 12 percentage points compared to 2016. It was also found that flavored cigarettes influence the first smoking attempt.

On the 27th, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency announced through the "Study on the Status of Flavored Cigarette Use and Its Impact on Health" that flavored cigarettes make it easier to try smoking for the first time and influence the continuation of smoking. This study surveyed 10,030 individuals aged 13 to 39 through an online questionnaire.

The study found that among 5,243 smokers aged 13 to 39, 77.2% used flavored cigarettes. This is an increase of 12.4 percentage points compared to 64.8% in 2016 (2,827 out of 4,360 current smokers).

The younger the age, the higher the usage rate of flavored cigarettes. The usage rate was highest among those aged 13 to 18 at 85.0%, followed by 80.1% for ages 19 to 24, and 74.5% for ages 25 to 39. By gender, 75.9% of males and 78.4% of females used flavored cigarettes, with females showing a higher rate.

Among 6,374 individuals with smoking experience, 64.6% responded that flavored cigarettes influenced their first smoking attempt. This is more than twice the 32.4% who said there was no influence. The most common reason for choosing flavored cigarettes was "because I liked the flavor," followed by "because it eliminated the smell," and "because it relieved physical discomfort (coughing, throat irritation)."

In addition to the initial smoking attempt, flavored cigarettes were found to influence smoking continuation and quit attempts. Those who tried smoking with flavored cigarettes were 1.4 times more likely to be current smokers compared to those who tried non-flavored cigarettes. The likelihood of continuing flavored cigarette smoking was also found to be 10.9 times higher. The probability of currently using the product after trying it was higher for flavored cigarettes at 73.9% compared to 44.6% for non-flavored cigarettes.

Positive perceptions of flavored cigarettes have increased compared to the 2016 survey. In response to the question "Are flavored cigarettes harmful to health?" the 2016 prior study showed that non-smokers (95.5%), non-flavored cigarette smokers (93.1%), and flavored cigarette smokers (92.0%) responded that flavored cigarettes are harmful to health. However, in this survey, the responses were 89.1% for non-smokers, 77.6% for non-flavored cigarette smokers, and 79.7% for flavored cigarette smokers, indicating an overall decrease in health awareness regarding flavored cigarettes across all groups.

Baek Kyung-ran, Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, stated, "The study on the status of flavored cigarette use and its impact on health shows that flavored cigarettes make it easier to try smoking and encourage continued smoking." She added, "Especially, adolescents aged 13 to 18 perceive flavored cigarettes positively and use them to easily attempt smoking, so improvements in related regulatory policies are necessary."