Are Heated Tobacco Product Users Less Likely to Quit than Cigarette Smokers? Findings from THINK (Tobacco and Health IN Korea) Study

Abstract

Since the advent of heated tobacco products in June 2017 in South Korea, the sale of heated tobacco products accounted for 10.5% of total tobacco sales in 2019. However, the decreasing trend in total tobacco sales is gradually weakening and the number of visitors using stop smoking services has also dropped. This study examines the association between the use of new tobacco products and related products and cessation behaviors. A cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire was conducted from March 2019 to July 2019 for 2831 adult tobacco users. The difference in rates of quit attempts using the type of tobacco products and related products in the past year were noted (55.6% (any cigarette smoker), 46.7% (any e-cigarette user), and 39.6% (any heated tobacco product user)). About a 30% increase in quit attempts was observed for the triple users of either conventional cigarette or heated tobacco product than exclusive users. Exclusive heated tobacco product and e-cigarette users were approximately 40% and 20% less likely to quit the product they used than exclusive cigarette smokers, respectively. These findings can explain recent occurrences in South Korea, such as the reduction of visitors at smoking cessation clinics and the attenuation of the decline in tobacco sales.