According to a survey by the Korea Disease Administration, the utilization of vapes among adolescents has increased significantly from 2019 to 2023, with flavored cigarettes, in particular, more likely to attract adolescents to try them for the first time.
Flavored tobacco becomes mainstream
On July 30, the Korea Disease Management Agency released a survey on the health panel of teenagers from 2019 to 2023, N. Xinhua reported. The survey targets Chinese students from sixth grade to the first year of high school and aims to track changes in their health behaviors from childhood to early adulthood.
The Office of Disease Management noted that the proportion of adolescents trying a variety of cigarette products for the first time is rising as grade levels increase, especially in the third to first year, with a significant increase in the utilization of vapes. Utilizing atomized vapes rose from 1.49% to 2.6%, a growth rate of 1.11%, and utilization of tobacco vapes increased from 0.6% to 1.56%, a growth rate of 0.96%.
Additionally, 69.5% of teens chose flavored cigarettes as their first smoke, especially among vape customers. The percentage of customers for atomized vapes was 84.8%, for tobacco e-cigarettes 71.5%, and for regular cigarettes 62.9%.
Specifically, of these multiple users’ initial exposure to cigarette products, 64.9% chose regular cigarettes, 32% chose atomized vapes, and 1.4% chose tobacco vapes, and, in particular, 60.3% of adolescents who used atomized vapes for the first time now primarily use regular cigarettes.
Lee Seong-kyu, Director of the Korea Tobacco Regulation Research and Education Center (Lee Seong-kyu), stated that
“Flavored marketing is becoming more popular as flavored cigarettes are gradually gaining a foothold in the market, making it easier for teens to access cigarette products. Teenagers who use vapes multiple times not only rely on the extent of cigarette tar but also greatly reduce the likelihood of quitting.”
