Yangcheon-gu Achieves 3.2% Drop in Smoking Rate with Tailored Smoking Cessation Services

Customized Support Such as Smoking Cessation Clinics and Youth Clean School
Yangcheon-gu Records 14.1%, Lower Than Seoul and National Averages

On June 15, Yangcheon-gu in Seoul announced that it is fostering a healthy smoking cessation culture by providing various smoking cessation support services to help residents who wish to quit smoking succeed in their efforts and to minimize the harm of secondhand smoke to non-smokers.

A resident receiving counseling by participating in the Yangcheon-gu Smoking Cessation Clinic program. Provided by Yangcheon-gu.

The district operates a year-round "Smoking Cessation Clinic" for smokers. The program consists of three stages?preparation, action, and maintenance?and offers 1:1 smoking cessation counseling and education, personalized smoking cessation aids and behavioral therapy, and referrals for prescription smoking cessation medications. Professional counselors also provide smoking cessation counseling services.

The Smoking Cessation Clinic relocated to the public health center's annex in March this year, allowing services to be provided in a more comfortable environment. Separate counseling rooms have been set up so that women and adolescents can receive counseling comfortably. For residents who have difficulty visiting the health center during the week, a "mobile smoking cessation clinic" is operated at workplaces, apartment complexes, and senior centers.

Over the past year, a total of 1,291 residents registered with the Yangcheon-gu Smoking Cessation Clinic, and among those registered, 531 people (41%) have either successfully quit smoking or are maintaining cessation. Through the "mobile smoking cessation clinic," smoking cessation support services were provided to 203 people, of whom 37 (18.2%) succeeded in quitting smoking.

The district is also working to prevent smoking among children and promote a culture of non-smoking by operating the "Youth Clean School" program for elementary, middle, and high school students. In addition, a total of 10,017 locations?including all taxi stands in the district?have been designated as non-smoking areas, and 4,994 sites have been inspected as part of various activities aimed at reducing the local smoking rate and protecting residents' health.

As a result of these efforts to create a non-smoking culture, the community health survey statistics show that Yangcheon-gu's smoking rate last year was 14.1%. This represents a decrease of 3.2 percentage points compared to 17.3% in 2021, three years ago, and is lower than the national average (17.7%) and the Seoul city average (14.8%).

Yangcheon-gu Mayor Lee Gijae said, "I hope the various smoking cessation services provided by Yangcheon-gu will help residents succeed in quitting smoking and prevent secondhand smoke exposure," adding, "We will continue to make meticulous efforts to create a healthy, smoke-free urban environment."