The National “Smoking Cessation Clinics” Program in the Republic of Korea: Socioeconomic Status and Age Matter

Background: Between 1998-2009 South Korea experienced significant progress in reducing the male smokingrate from 66.3% to 46.9%. As part of a significant government effort in the area of smoking cessation intervention,the Korean government implemented the national “Smoking Cessation Clinics (SCC)” program in 2004. Materialsand
Methods: Data covered 804,334 adult male smokers participating in SCC program at 253 public healthcenters between 2006-2009. We examined participant cessation rates with the SCC program, their characteristicsand program intervention components using health insurance status as a socioeconomic status (SES) indicator.Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed correcting for intra-class correlations within publichealth centers.
Results: The overall 6-month quit rate was high (46.8%). Higher odds of smoking cessation werepositively associated with higher levels of behavioral counseling sessions, but not nicotine replacement therapy(NRT). Cessation rates were lower for Medicaid participants than for regular health insurance participants.Disadvantaged younger smokers were less likely to participate in the program. Older smokers were more likelyto quit regardless of SES. Stress was cited as major reason for failure.
Conclusions: SES inequalities acrossdifferent age groups exist in smoking cessation among Korean adult male smokers. There is a need for interventionprograms specifically targeting sub-populations of SES by different age groups.