Hierarchical Age-Period-Cohort Analysis of Smoking Prevalence and Cigarettes per Day in South Korea

This study highlights the stagnation in the decline of smoking prevalence in South Korea, particularly among recent birth cohorts with lower educational attainment and current alcohol consumption. Notably, an increase in cigarette consumption following the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic was observed only among women. These findings underscore the importance of implementing gender-responsive and equity-oriented tobacco control policies that address behavioral and socioeconomic disparities to sustain progress in smoking reduction.