Smoking and Drinking Among Students in Busan Area Are Decreasing

Busan Metropolitan Office of Education.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Trainee Reporter Hwang Du-yeol] Smoking and drinking rates among students in the Busan area have been steadily decreasing.

On the 17th, the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education announced that the smoking and drinking rates have been steadily declining since 2019, according to a survey on smoking and drinking habits among students.

The survey conducted in the first half of 2021 targeted 28,694 students, including 4th grade elementary school students and above, middle and high school students, and students at lifelong education facilities. The smoking rate was 1.7%, lower than 3.5% in 2019 and 2.9% in 2020.

The drinking rate also decreased to 4.4% in 2021, compared to 7.9% in 2019 and 5.2% in 2020.

The smoking cessation attempt rate was high at 75.8% in 2019 but slightly decreased to 71.7% in 2020, when remote classes were intensively conducted due to COVID-19.

In 2021, when remote and in-person classes were conducted concurrently, the rate increased again to 74.8%.

According to the “Youth Health Behavior Online Survey” conducted nationwide by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency targeting adolescents aged 14 to under 19, the smoking and drinking rates among students in the Busan area have significantly decreased, and the smoking cessation attempt rate has also increased.

In the survey, the smoking rate among Busan students ranked 15th (7.4%) among 17 metropolitan and provincial offices of education nationwide in 2019 but rose to 3rd place (3.7%) in 2020. The drinking rate improved from 8th place (14.9%) in 2019 to 4th place (9.6%) in 2020.

The smoking cessation attempt rate increased from 11th place (65.1%) in 2019 to 2nd place (79.4%) in 2020.

The Busan Office of Education produces and distributes educational materials tailored to the needs of users to support smoking and drinking prevention education conducted in schools.

Students and faculty actively participate in self-directed smoking prevention activities such as operating clubs that propose smoking prevention policies, promoting smoking prevention and cessation as supporters, and holding smoking prevention contests.

In cooperation with the Busan Smoking Cessation Support Center, counseling for smoking students and a 4-night 5-day smoking cessation camp for faculty members are also operated to foster a culture of smoking prevention and create a smoke-free environment.

Superintendent Kim Seok-jun stated, “We will strive to establish a smoking cessation culture by building a cooperative system with local governments.”

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