Current status of tobacco use, cessation and control policy in Korea.

Background: Tobacco use is a leading cause of countless deaths and disabilities worldwide. An estimated 11 million Korean adults were still using tobacco in 2020, according to the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. This review aims to explain the current trends in tobacco use, sales, cessation, and control policies in South Korea. Current Concepts: Heated tobacco products (HTPs), a hybrid between conventional and electronic cigarettes, were first launched in South Korea in June 2017. Advertisements stating that HTPs are odorless, tar-free, and less harmful to health have caused sales of HTPs to grow quickly over the past 5 years, such that they account for about 15% of the total tobacco market. According to national smoking rate statistics and tobacco sales trends, declines in current smoking rates have slowed and even risen in some groups, and declines in total tobacco sales have slowed but also risen again during the coronavirus 19 pandemic. In addition, the number of visitors to smoking cessation clinics decreased just after the advent of HTPs and social distancing policies triggered by the coronavirus. Nicotine replacement therapy can serve as a drug therapy for smoking cessation, or bupropion and varenicline can be prescribed. Korea's representative tobacco control policies include the tax increase policy, non-smoking area policy, cigarette pack warning picture policy, and support policy for visiting smoking cessation clinics. Discussion and Conclusion(s): There is a pressing need to reflect tobacco control policies in line with changes in tobacco user behaviors and tobacco company marketing strategies.Copyright © Korean Medical Association.

Publicly subsidised smoking cessation medicines in times of COVID-19 in Australia: An interrupted time series analysis.

INTRODUCTION: In Australia, the available published literature demonstrated a spike in dispensed prescription medicines after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic that subsequently returned to expected levels. Smoking cessation medicines may not follow this pattern because quit attempts are influenced by a range of factors. Knowledge of whether dispensing of these medicines has changed since the pandemic is lacking. We explored the change in dispensing of publicly subsidised smoking cessation medicines since the pandemic. METHODS: Australia's universal health-care system provides access to government-subsidised medicines via the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and records of dispensed medicines are publicly available on a nationally aggregated level. We retrieved Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme data from January 2016 to January 2021. We used interrupted time series modelling to quantify the impact of COVID-19 on dispensing of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) patches, varenicline and all smoking cessation treatments combined separately. RESULTS: After an initial spike in medicines at the onset of the pandemic, the monthly rate of prescriptions dispensed for varenicline was predominantly within predicted ranges, while that of NRT patches was predominantly below predicted ranges. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: There has been a differential change in the number of subsidised smoking cessation medicines supplied in Australia since the COVID-19 pandemic, with varenicline prescriptions largely within, and NRT patches largely lower than, expected ranges. The reasons for the apparent change in dispensing of subsidised smoking cessation medicines are unclear.

Prevalence of use and real-world effectiveness of smoking cessation aids during the COVID-19 pandemic: a representative study of smokers in England.

AIM: To measure whether the prevalence of use and real-world effectiveness of different smoking cessation aids has changed in England since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. DESIGN: Representative monthly cross-sectional surveys, January 2015-June 2021. SETTING: England. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 7300 adults (≥18 y) who had smoked within the previous 12 months and had made ≥1 quit attempt during that period. MEASUREMENTS: The independent variable was the timing of the COVID-19 pandemic (pre-pandemic [January 2015-February 2020] vs pandemic [April 2020-June 2021]). We analysed (i) the association between the pandemic period and self-reported use (vs non-use) during the most recent quit attempt of: prescription medication (nicotine replacement therapy [NRT]/varenicline/bupropion), NRT bought over-the-counter, e-cigarettes, traditional behavioural support and traditional remote support (telephone support/written self-help materials/websites) and (ii) the interaction between the pandemic period and use of these cessation aids on self-reported abstinence from quit date to survey. Covariates included age, sex, social grade, level of cigarette addiction and characteristics related to the quit attempt. FINDINGS: After adjustment for secular trends, there was a significant increase from the pre-pandemic to pandemic period in the prevalence of use of traditional remote support by past-year smokers in a quit attempt (OR = 2.18; 95% CI, 1.42-3.33); specifically telephone support (OR = 7.16; 95% CI, 2.19-23.45) and websites (OR = 2.39; 95% CI, 1.41-4.08). There was also an increase in the prevalence of use of prescription medication (OR = 1.47; 95% CI, 1.08-2.00); specifically varenicline (OR = 1.66; 95% CI, 1.09-2.52). There were no significant changes in prevalence of use of other cessation aids after adjustment for secular trends. People who reported using prescription medication (OR = 1.41; 95% CI, 1.09-1.84) and e-cigarettes (OR = 1.87; 95% CI, 1.62-2.16) had greater odds of reporting abstinence than people who did not. There were no significant interactions between the pandemic period and use of any cessation aid on abstinence, after adjustment for covariates and use of the other aids, although data were insensitive to distinguish no change from meaningful modest (OR = 1.34) effects (Bayes factors 0.72-1.98). CONCLUSIONS: In England, the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with an increase in use of remote support for smoking cessation and varenicline by smokers in a quit attempt up to June 2021. The data were inconclusive regarding an association between the pandemic and changes in the real-world effectiveness of popular smoking cessation aids.

The impact of COVID-19 on smoking cessation in pregnancy.

OBJECTIVES: A greater proportion of non-pregnant smokers attempted to stop smoking during compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this study was to determine if a greater proportion of pregnant women also attempted to stop smoking during the pandemic rather than before. METHODS: The use of antenatal smoking cessation services and nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) in pregnant women was audited before (2019-2020) and during the COVID pandemic (2020-2021). Anonymised data from January 2019 to March 2021 were analysed from the Lambeth and Southwark smoking cessation service. RESULTS: A total of 252 pregnant women who smoked were referred to their local antenatal smoking cessation service, of which 90 (35.7%) (median age: 31 years [19-52 years]) chose to attend smoking cessation clinics. The COVID-19 pandemic was not associated with an increase in the number of women attending smoking cessation clinics, (2020-2021 n=46 [40.8%] of 110); compared to (2019-2020 n=44 [30.9%] of 142 referred pregnant women pre-pandemic) p=0.061. Eighty-two women utilised NRT to help them stop smoking and the frequency of NRT use did not change during the pandemic (2019-2020 n=39, 2020-2021 n=43; p=0.420). No significant difference in smoking cessation rates between the two periods was observed at either the four-week (p=0.285) or twelve-week follow-up (p=0.829). CONCLUSIONS: Smoking cessation rates in pregnant women and the demand for antenatal smoking cessation services was unchanged during compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Effectiveness of National Residential Smoking Cessation Program.

We aimed to investigate the effectiveness of the Korean national five-day residential smoking cessation program and the factors affecting the long-term smoking cessation of participants. The residential smoking cessation program (2017-2018) recruited smokers with a smoking duration ≥ 20 years and who have attempted to quit smoking more than twice and/or smokers with chronic morbidities. Participants underwent an intensive intervention, including individual psychological therapy, group therapy, medical counseling, and pharmacotherapy. The 6-month continuous abstinence rate (CAR) was assessed via self-reports, the urine cotinine levels, and/or expired-air carbon monoxide levels. Logistic regression was used to analyze the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) to assess factors related to smoking cessation. Overall, 484 participants who completed the residential program and questionnaire were evaluated. The 3- and 6-month CAR were 81.82% and 63.22%, respectively. The aOR of 6-month continuous abstinence was lower among participants with severe nicotine dependence (aOR: 0.46, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.26-0.81) and higher among participants with combination therapy of varenicline with short-term nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) (aOR: 1.64, 95% CI: 1.07-2.51), with higher self-efficacy (aOR: 1.97, 95% CI: 1.15-3.37). The residential smoking cessation program was effective. High self-efficacy, combination therapy of varenicline with short-term NRT, and low nicotine dependence were associated with a high 6-month CAR.

The association of smoking status with SARS-CoV-2 infection, hospitalization and mortality from COVID-19: a living rapid evidence review with Bayesian meta-analyses (version 7).

AIMS: To estimate the association of smoking status with rates of (i) infection, (ii) hospitalization, (iii) disease severity and (iv) mortality from SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 disease. DESIGN: Living rapid review of observational and experimental studies with random-effects hierarchical Bayesian meta-analyses. Published articles and pre-prints were identified via MEDLINE and medRxiv. SETTING: Community or hospital, no restrictions on location. PARTICIPANTS: Adults who received a SARS-CoV-2 test or a COVID-19 diagnosis. MEASUREMENTS: Outcomes were SARS-CoV-2 infection, hospitalization, disease severity and mortality stratified by smoking status. Study quality was assessed (i.e. 'good', 'fair' and 'poor'). FINDINGS: Version 7 (searches up to 25 August 2020) included 233 studies with 32 'good' and 'fair' quality studies included in meta-analyses. Fifty-seven studies (24.5%) reported current, former and never smoking status. Recorded smoking prevalence among people with COVID-19 was generally lower than national prevalence. Current compared with never smokers were at reduced risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection [relative risk (RR) = 0.74, 95% credible interval (CrI) = 0.58-0.93, τ = 0.41]. Data for former smokers were inconclusive (RR = 1.05, 95% CrI = 0.95-1.17, τ = 0.17), but favoured there being no important association (21% probability of RR ≥ 1.1). Former compared with never smokers were at somewhat increased risk of hospitalization (RR = 1.20, CrI = 1.03-1.44, τ = 0.17), greater disease severity (RR = 1.52, CrI = 1.13-2.07, τ = 0.29) and mortality (RR = 1.39, 95% CrI = 1.09-1.87, τ = 0.27). Data for current smokers were inconclusive (RR = 1.06, CrI = 0.82-1.35, τ = 0.27; RR = 1.25, CrI = 0.85-1.93, τ = 0.34; RR = 1.22, 95% CrI = 0.78-1.94, τ = 0.49, respectively), but favoured there being no important associations with hospitalization and mortality (35% and 70% probability of RR ≥ 1.1, respectively) and a small but important association with disease severity (79% probability of RR ≥ 1.1). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with never smokers, current smokers appear to be at reduced risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, while former smokers appear to be at increased risk of hospitalization, increased disease severity and mortality from COVID-19. However, it is uncertain whether these associations are causal.

The consequential impact of JUUL on youth vaping and the landscape of tobacco products: The state of play in the COVID-19 era.

JUUL is a groundbreaking electronic cigarette (e-cig) and the preeminent vaping product on the market. We present an overview of the rapid and spectacular rise of JUUL and its remarkable fall within the timespan of 2015 - 2020. We highlight JUUL's entering the market in June 2015, becoming the industry leader in mid 2017, and experiencing a litany of setbacks by late 2019 through to early 2020. We address the role played by JUUL in the ongoing epidemic of youth vaping. We also feature competing views on the public health impact of JUUL use (in particular), and e-cig vaping (in general). We further highlight the latest trends in youth vaping and sales records for JUUL and tobacco cigarettes. In view of the ongoing pandemic of COVID-19, we briefly summarize the existing evidence on the relationship between vaping and smoking and the prevalence, disease course, and clinical outcomes of COVID-19.

Does Nicotine Prevent Cytokine Storms in COVID-19?

COVID-19 has a benign outcome in most cases, yet it can also be fatal and no specific treatment is available as of yet. Older age and several medical comorbidities are risk factors for COVID-19 complications. We report on an elderly man with a longstanding history of bipolar affective disorder associated with heavy smoking, alcohol abuse and multiple comorbidities, including severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and recurrent pulmonary sepsis, who contracted COVID-19 during his inpatient treatment of a manic episode, and who fully recovered from COVID-19 without any need for respiratory support. We discuss how his excessive use of nicotine replacement therapy may have contributed to his emerging unscathed from COVID-19. Nicotine, an α7-nACh receptor agonist, may boost the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway and hinder the uncontrolled overproduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines triggered by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which is understood to be the main pathway to poor outcomes and death in severe COVID-19.