Factors affecting Attempts to Quit Smoking in Korean Adolescents

Abstract

Purpose: This study investigated the rate of attempts to quit smoking and related factors in Korean adolescent smokers. Methods: The findings of this study were based on the data obtained from the ‘2015 11th Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey’. The number of subjects was 5,123. Results: 71.7% of adolescent smokers in our study group had made previous attempts to quit smoking. Logistic regression analysis showed that the following significant factors were related to attempts to quit smoking: smoking amount (OR=1.78, 95% CI=1.42~ 2.23), experience of secondhand smoking in family (OR=1.16, 95% CI=1.02~1.32), experience of smoking cessation education in school (OR=2.05, 95% CI=1.79~2.35) anti-smoking publicity (OR=1.34, 95% CI=1.17~1.55), and close friend’s smoking (OR=1.63, 95% CI=1.24~2.17). Conclusion: Smoking cessation policies and programs, especially those targeting adolescent smokers, should consider the factors mentioned above when designing new interventions or campaigns.