Data from: Effectiveness of government anti-smoking policy on nonsmoking youth in Korea: a four-year trend analysis of national survey data

Objectives: Since the Health Promotion Act was introduced in Korea in 1995, anti-smoking policies and regulations have undergone numerous revisions, and non-smoking areas have gradually been expanded. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a partial legislative ban on adolescent exposure to secondhand smoke using objective urinary cotinine levels in a nationwide representative sample. Methods: Urine cotinine levels were measured in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2008 to 2011. This study was a trend analysis of 4 years of national survey data from 2197 Korean youth aged 10–18 years. Among non-smokers, the 75th percentile urinary cotinine level was estimated. We also considered the number of household smokers. Results: The 75th percentile urine cotinine level of non-smokers showed a significant decreasing trend from 2008 to 2011, from 15.47 to 5.37 ng/mL, respectively. Urine cotinine did not decline significantly in non-smokers living with smokers during the study period. The results did not show a statistically significant reduction in smoking rate in adolescents from 2008 to 2011, although there was a trend towards a decrease (p=0.081). Conclusions: Based on urine cotinine levels, government-initiated anti-smoking policies have only been effective among highly exposed non-smoking adolescents during the study period. Further study needs to evaluate whether or not the legislative ban affects domestic smoking exposure.

研究目的：韩国自1995年引入《健康促进法》以来，控烟政策法规历经多次修订，无烟区域逐步扩大。本研究旨在依托全国代表性样本的客观尿液可替宁（urine cotinine）水平，评估部分立法禁烟举措对青少年二手烟暴露的影响。
研究方法：本研究分析了2008至2011年韩国国民健康与营养检查调查（Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey）的尿液可替宁检测数据，针对2197名10至18岁韩国青少年的4年全国调查数据开展趋势分析。在非吸烟青少年群体中，我们估算了其尿液可替宁水平的75百分位数，并同时考量了家庭吸烟者的数量。
研究结果：2008至2011年，非吸烟青少年的尿液可替宁75百分位数呈显著下降趋势，从15.47 ng/mL降至5.37 ng/mL。研究期间，与吸烟者同住的非吸烟青少年，其尿液可替宁水平未出现显著下降。尽管青少年吸烟率呈下降趋势，但2008至2011年间的降幅未达到统计学显著性（p=0.081）。
研究结论：基于尿液可替宁水平，本研究周期内政府推行的控烟政策仅对暴露程度较高的非吸烟青少年群体产生了显著效果。未来需进一步评估立法禁烟是否会对家庭内的吸烟暴露情况产生影响。