Lee Cheol Min
Department of Family Medicine, Healthcare System Gangnam Center, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
Korean J Fam Med. 2020 Sep;41(5):273-281. doi: 10.4082/kjfm.20.0140. Epub 2020 Sep 18.
Heated tobacco products (HTPs), a hybrid between conventional and electronic cigarettes, were first launched in South Korea in June 2017. Owing to advertisements stating that HTPs are odorless, tar-free, and less harmful to health, the sales of HTPs have grown quickly enough to account for about 10% of the total tobacco market in a year. HTP use by young, highly educated, and high-income groups had a significant impact on both the overall tobacco market over the past 3 years and the smoking and quitting behaviors of smokers. Based on national smoking rate statistics, tobacco sales trends, and the number of visitors to smoking cessation clinics, the following changes have been identified: (1) The decline in current smoking rates has slowed or rose in some groups. (2) The decline in total cigarette sales has slowed but rose again in the first quarter of 2020. (3) The number of visitors to smoking cessation clinics decreased just after the advent of HTPs. These results may be due to the insufficient support of tobacco regulation policies but also coincide chronologically with the appearance of HTPs in South Korea. It is necessary to investigate the usage rate of various tobacco products, including HTPs and e-cigarettes, to examine the health risks of novel tobacco products and provide accurate information to users and policymakers. Finally, tobacco companies are continuously developing new product concepts to escape the regulation of existing cigarettes; thus, comprehensive management measures for all nicotine-containing products are needed.
加热烟草制品（HTPs）是传统香烟和电子烟的混合体，于2017年6月在韩国首次推出。由于广告宣称加热烟草制品无味、无焦油且对健康危害较小，其销量增长迅速，一年内占到了烟草市场总量的约10%。过去三年里，年轻、高学历和高收入群体对加热烟草制品的使用，对整个烟草市场以及吸烟者的吸烟和戒烟行为都产生了重大影响。基于全国吸烟率统计数据、烟草销售趋势以及戒烟诊所的就诊人数，已发现以下变化：（1）当前吸烟率的下降速度放缓，或在某些群体中出现上升。（2）卷烟总销量的下降速度放缓，但在2020年第一季度再次上升。（3）加热烟草制品出现后不久，戒烟诊所的就诊人数减少。这些结果可能是由于烟草监管政策支持不足，但在时间上也与加热烟草制品在韩国的出现相吻合。有必要调查包括加热烟草制品和电子烟在内的各类烟草制品的使用率，以研究新型烟草制品的健康风险，并向用户和政策制定者提供准确信息。最后，烟草公司不断开发新的产品概念以规避现有香烟的监管；因此，需要对所有含尼古丁产品采取综合管理措施。
