College of Health Science, Dankook University, 119, Dandae-ro, Dongnam-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungnam, 31116, Republic of Korea.
Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea.
BMC Public Health. 2021 Nov 1;21(1):1972. doi: 10.1186/s12889-021-12079-8.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of human society, including education, culture, and the economy, and has also introduced changes in people's health behaviors such as drinking alcohol, nutrition intake, and practicing healthy living. This study conducted qualitative research in the Korean context to examine the changes in the smoking behavior of smokers and secondhand smoke exposure of non-smokers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Focus group interviews were conducted with 36 Korean participants (18 men and 18 women). The groups were composed of cigarette smokers, e-cigarette users, heated tobacco product users, and non-smokers.
During the pandemic, it was found that there was an increase in the frequency of use, irrespective of the tobacco product, in users who refrained from social interaction and worked or studied from home. Users who continued to be socially active increased the amount used with each usage. Smokers showed a tendency to avoid smoking rooms and to smoke alone in places unoccupied by people. In addition, non-smokers' exposure to secondhand smoke did not decrease, but since non-smokers used masks, they reported more relief from the risk of exposure to secondhand smoke than before.
Despite smokers being a high-risk group for COVID-19, the risk did not result in smoking cessation among smokers. Therefore, policies and educational campaigns to raise awareness about the dangers of smoking and to encourage smoking cessation are needed in the future.
COVID-19 大流行影响了人类社会的各个方面，包括教育、文化和经济，也带来了人们饮酒、营养摄入和健康生活习惯等方面的变化。本研究在韩国背景下进行了定性研究，以考察 COVID-19 大流行期间吸烟者吸烟行为和不吸烟者接触二手烟的变化。
对 36 名韩国参与者（18 名男性和 18 名女性）进行了焦点小组访谈。这些小组由香烟吸烟者、电子烟使用者、加热烟草制品使用者和不吸烟者组成。
在大流行期间，发现无论是使用哪种烟草制品，那些避免社交互动并在家工作或学习的使用者的使用频率都有所增加。继续保持社交活跃的使用者每次使用时使用量都会增加。吸烟者倾向于避免吸烟室，并在无人居住的地方独自吸烟。此外，非吸烟者接触二手烟的情况并没有减少，但由于非吸烟者使用口罩，他们报告说接触二手烟的风险比以前有所缓解。
尽管吸烟者是 COVID-19 的高风险群体，但这并没有导致吸烟者戒烟。因此，未来需要制定政策和开展教育宣传活动，提高人们对吸烟危害的认识，并鼓励戒烟。
