The Relation between Frequency of E-Cigarette Use and Frequency and Intensity of Cigarette Smoking among South Korean Adolescents

Introduction: This article summarizes a study examining the relationship between e-cigarette use and cigarette smoking frequency and intensity among South Korean adolescents. The study also evaluates the association between reasons for e-cigarette use and the frequency of its use. This summary will highlight the key points of the study design, major findings, and main message.

Key Points:

* The study used data from the 2015 Korean Youth Risk Behavior Web-Based Survey, which is a nationally representative cross-sectional survey of Korean middle and high school students.
* The study included 6655 adolescents who had an experience of e-cigarette use.
* The prevalence of e-cigarette ever and current (past 30 days) users were 10.1% and 3.9%, respectively.
* Frequent and intensive cigarette smoking was associated with frequent e-cigarette uses.
* Curiosity was the most common reason for e-cigarette use (22.9%).
* The desire to quit smoking and the capacity for indoor use were the most common reasons among more frequent users.
* The study found a positive relation between frequency or intensity of conventional cigarette smoking and the frequency of e-cigarette use among Korean adolescents.

Main Message: The study highlights the importance of understanding the reasons for e-cigarette initiation and frequency of use among adolescents. The findings suggest that frequent e-cigarette use is associated with frequent and intensive cigarette smoking, and that the reasons for e-cigarette use differ according to the frequency of use. The study emphasizes the need for more education for adolescents about e-cigarettes and stricter control by the government, as e-cigarettes can be used as a smoking cessation aid among adolescent smokers and for recreational purposes even among non-smokers, without sufficient evidence for their safety and efficacy. The study's results can help in understanding the behaviors of adolescent e-cigarette users and may be usefully adopted in a future campaign to prevent adolescents from using e-cigarettes.

Lee, Jung, Sungkyu Lee, and Hong-Jun Cho. “The Relation between Frequency of E-Cigarette Use and Frequency and Intensity of Cigarette Smoking among South Korean Adolescents.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 14, no. 3 (March 14, 2017): 305. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14030305.