[2023 National Audit] Rapid Increase in Female Adolescents Suffering from Smoking and Drinking Related Diseases

The number of female adolescents receiving medical treatment for smoking-related diseases has surged more than fivefold in two years.

On the 11th, Han Jeong-ae, a member of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, reported that according to the "Status of Health Insurance Patients by Age and Gender Due to Smoking and Drinking" submitted by the National Health Insurance Service, the number of female patients under the age of 10 who visited hospitals for smoking-related diseases increased 5.1 times from 1,449 in 2020 to 7,389 last year.

During the same period, the number of female patients under the age of 10 with drinking-related diseases also rose 1.5 times, from 4,595 to 6,986.

The number of male adolescents under the age of 10 receiving treatment for smoking-related diseases increased slightly from 1,660 in 2020 to 2,112 in 2022, a 1.2-fold increase. Compared to female adolescents, the increase was modest. The number of male adolescent patients visiting hospitals for drinking-related diseases actually decreased from 3,289 to 2,597 during the same period.

Between 2020 and 2022, the gender ratio of patients under the age of 10 visiting hospitals for diseases caused by smoking and drinking was higher among females. Specifically, for smoking, males accounted for 29.7% (5,486 patients) and females 70.3% (12,998 patients); for drinking, males were 32.0% (8,513 patients) and females 68.0% (18,077 patients). In other age groups excluding those under 10, the female smoking and drinking gender ratio never approached 70%. Early drinking and smoking among female adolescents in their teens signal a red alert for their future health.

In this situation, the budget for youth smoking cessation and alcohol abstinence education next year has rather been cut. According to the "Annual Youth Smoking Cessation Policy Education Budget Status" submitted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, next year's budget is 18.345 billion KRW, a 17.1% decrease from this year's 22.138 billion KRW. The budget for youth alcohol abstinence education had been frozen at 42 million KRW for the past three years but was completely eliminated in next year's budget proposal.

Assemblywoman Han Jeong-ae stated, "Since lifelong health can be greatly influenced by the age at which smoking and drinking begin, the budget for smoking cessation and alcohol abstinence education targeting youth needs to be increased, not cut," adding, "The government should withdraw the budget cuts for smoking cessation and alcohol abstinence education and allocate sufficient funds to ensure that youth can grow up healthily."

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