Sejong Records the Lowest Nationwide Rates of Smoking and High-Risk Drinking

[Asia Economy (Sejong) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The smoking rate and high-risk drinking rate among Sejong residents have recorded the lowest levels nationwide.

According to Sejong City on the 26th, last year's Community Health Survey results showed that the smoking rate among local residents was 15.9%, and the high-risk drinking rate was 10.8%, both the lowest rates among the 17 metropolitan cities and provinces nationwide.

The Community Health Survey is conducted under Article 4 of the Regional Health Act. A total of 255 public health centers nationwide select a sample of 900 residents aged 19 or older per health center, and the survey is conducted annually from August to October.

As a result, Sejong showed favorable indicators in seven categories including current smoking rate, male current smoking rate, high-risk drinking rate, and experience of depression. On the other hand, the walking practice rate was found to be poor.

First, the "current smoking rate," which is the proportion of current smokers among those who have smoked at least 5 packs (100 cigarettes) in their lifetime, decreased from 17.5% in 2018 to 15.9% in 2019. In particular, the male current smoking rate recorded 30.9% last year, down 2.1 percentage points from the previous year.

This decrease in the current smoking rate is analyzed as the result of various health projects, including the government's smoking cessation policies, the city's own smoking prevention and cessation projects, and integrated health promotion projects linked to these efforts.

Sejong also shows relatively low figures in drinking rates. The monthly drinking rate was 60.8% in 2019, down 4.2 percentage points from the previous year, and the high-risk drinking rate among annual drinkers was 14.0% in 2019, up 0.2 percentage points from the previous year, but still 4.4 percentage points lower than the national average.

Additionally, the obesity prevalence rate was 31.0% in 2019, slightly increased by 3.3 percentage points from the previous year but still lower than the national average of 34.6%, and the annual weight control attempt rate was 66.3%, an increase of 5.6 percentage points.

On the other hand, the walking practice rate showed 34.5% last year, down 5.7 percentage points from 28.8% the previous year, and 5.9 percentage points lower than the national average, indicating the city's judgment that measures to promote walking among local residents are necessary.

In this regard, the city plans to discover and implement health education programs involving local residents to improve related indicators such as weight control attempt rate and walking practice rate.

Kwon Geun-yong, head of the city health center, said, "The results of the Community Health Survey are used as basic data to set priorities and directions for health projects needed by citizens," adding, "The city will strive to protect citizens' health and improve their quality of life based on these results."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.