Characteristics of hardcore smokers in South Korea from 2007 to 2013

BACKGROUND: As the prevalence of smoking decreased in western countries, a significant proportion of smokers appeared to be particularly resistant to quitting- “hardcore” smokers. This study examines the characteristics of hardcore smokers in South Korea. METHODS: We used the data from 2007 to 2013 from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Hardcore smoking was defined as (1) smoking >15 cigarettes per day, (2) having no plans of quitting, and (3) having made no attempts to quit. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the association between various sociodemographic variables and hardcore smoking. RESULTS: The proportion of hardcore smokers among smokers did not change significantly from 23.1% in 2007 to 23.0% in 2013. None of the three characteristics of hardcore smokers for either gender showed a significant change from 2007 to 2013. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that hardcore smokers were 1.64 times (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.28–2.11) greater among those aging 40–49 years than among those aging 19–29 years, and four times greater among men than women. Never-married smokers were less likely to be hardcore smokers than married ones (odds ratio 0.79; 95% CI, 0.66–0.96). Household income and education level did not have any significant association with the likelihood of a hardcore smoker. CONCLUSIONS: Hardcore smoking was more prevalent among men, unmarried men and those aging 40–49 years.