Effects of Different Types of Smoking Cessation Treatments for South Korean Adult Smokers without an Intention to Quit

BACKGROUND: While there are many different ways to quit smoking, current methods are not equally successful. The objective of this study was to analyze the effects of different types of stop smoking treatment for South Korean adult smokers without an intention to quit. METHODS: This cross-sectional study used data of 14,174 adults (age 19 years and over) from the Korea national health and nutrition examination survey (2007–2012) who have experience of smoking. The data were analyzed using multiple logistic regression. RESULTS: According to multiple logistic regression analysis, the education and counseling plus prescription drug group (OR = 14.831, 95% CI = 1.256 to 175.136) and education and counseling plus NRT group (OR = 3.060, 95% CI = 1.971 to 4.748) were associated with increased odds of quitting success compared to the no intervention group. Second, the education and counseling group was associated with increased odds of quitting success compared to the no intervention group (OR = 4.944, 95% CI = 3.463 to 7.058). Third, education and counseling plus NRT (OR = 0.325, 95% CI = 0.161 to 0.657) and NRT alone (OR = 0.322, 95% CI = 0.175 to 0.593) were associated with decreased odds of quitting success compared to the group using prescription drug only. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that an approach utilizing education and counseling plus prescription drugs is the most successful type of stop smoking treatment for South Korean adult smokers without an intention to quit.