Tobacco Retailers and Adolescent Smoking in South Korea

Background: Smoking leads to various harmful effects on health. Most adult smokers initiate smoking during adolescence. Once smoking is established, it is difficult quit. Adolescents are impressionable and more receptive to tobacco marketing in tobacco retailers.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe various licensed tobacco retailer factors and determine predictors of adolescent smoking outcomes including receptivity to tobacco marketing, lifetime smoking, and current smoking in South Korea.
Methods: This study used a cross-sectional descriptive correlational design. The survey was conducted with 740 adolescents aged 13 to 15 attending middle schools in Seoul, South Korea. Addresses of 3,488 licensed tobacco retailers were obtained from borough offices of Seoul. Geographic Information Systems were used to measure factors of licensed tobacco retailer and multilevel modeling was used to determine predictors of adolescent smoking outcomes.
Results: Predictors of receptivity to tobacco marketing were peer smoking and number of licensed tobacco retailer passed when traveling to school or home. Predictors of lifetime smoking were gender, perceived economy, weekly allowance, sibling smoking, peer smoking, and number of licensed tobacco retailer passed. Predictors of current smoking were gender, weekly allowance, sibling smoking, and peer smoking.
Conclusions: Predictors found in this study need to be considered in adolescent tobacco prevention programs and policies. There is a need for the regulation of zoning and licensing of licensed tobacco retailers in areas frequented by adolescents.