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The nationwide government-supported public health centre-based Smoking Cessation Clinics provided highly cost-effective service at a level of 0.46% of the per capita gross domestic product.

The present study revealed low user satisfaction for the contents of counseling and the coaching protocol, which would need to be improved with some urgency to increase Quitline performance in Korea. Continued evaluation of Quitline user satisfaction could be a useful tool to understand user demand and implement improvements accordingly.

INTRODUCTIONWhile tobacco control policies have been adopted and enforced, and anti-smoking campaigns have been conducted, the evaluation of their impact on tobacco quitting is lacking in Korea. Therefore, the effectiveness of tobacco control policies and mass media campaigns to encourage use of the Quitline were evaluated by monitoring call volume on Quitline, which has been in operation since 2006, in Korea.METHODSTobacco control policies and mass media campaigns, from 1 January of 2007 to 31 December of 2016, were assessed from the review of government documents and the history of law and regulation changes. The corresponding period incoming call volumes of the Quitline were assesed. The average monthly call volume, when policies and anti-smoking advertising were implemented, was compared with that of the whole year or baseline years (2007 and 2008).RESULTSPeak call volume occurred in 2010 when the Quitline was directly promoted on television. The call volume in the month the TV campaign aired was 5.5 times higher than the average monthly call volume in the year 2010. A relatively gradual rise in call volume was found from 2013 to 2016 when the tobacco control policies and campaigns, such as Quitline number included on cigarette packs, a fear-oriented anti-tobacco campaign on mass media, and a tax increase on tobacco was implemented, were introduced sequentially. In that period, the average monthly call volume was about five times higher than in 2007 and 2008.CONCLUSIONSContinuous efforts to contribute to tobacco control policies and campaigns by the promotion of the Quitline is a most effective approach to raise quitting attempts. Based on the Korean experience, Quitline data may be useful for assessing the impact of tobacco control policies and campaigns in Asian Pacific countries.

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Background The popularity of heated tobacco products (HTPs) has been growing globally but, limited information exists on tobacco use behaviors and its impact on tobacco control. This study investigates awareness and perception of HTPs among tobacco users and whether perceptions of HTPs are associated with HTP use and intention to quit. Methods We invited 2,000 tobacco users aged 19–65 years with countrywide representation to an online survey in November 2018. Information on general characteristics, tobacco use behaviors, awareness and perception of HTPs, and intention to quit were gathered. Multinomial logistic regression analysis and ANCOVA were used for estimation of association and comparison. Results Among all tobacco users, 36.8% were classified as ever users, whereas 28.3% had used HTPs in the past 30 days, which was higher than expected. Users of liquid-based e-cigarettes (odds ratio [OR] 1.578; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.210–2.056) and poly-product users (OR 2.029; 95% CI, 1.121–3.671) showed higher intention to quit within 1 month when compared to users of conventional cigarettes (CCs), whereas HTP users and dual product users did not. HTP users rated HTPs more favorably than CCs in terms of smoke, smell, harm, aid in quitting, design, and price than users of other products did ( P -value < 0.001). Conclusion We find that positive perception of HTPs following strategic marketing from tobacco companies could have contributed to a greater increase in HTP use than expected in Korea. However, HTPs might not be considered substitutes for CCs for quitting tobacco use because a significant proportion of dual product users reported a lower intention to quit.

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