Male student smoking ‘stubbornly high’

In South Korea, one in four male high school seniors smokes cigarettes habitually, according to a story in The Korea Times.

The Ministry of Education said on Wednesday that 24.5 percent of male high school seniors were currently smokers, down from 27.0 percent during 2006.

The latest figure is higher than that for any other grade in middle and high schools. Among all male students in middle and high schools, the current smoking rate is 14.0 percent, down from 14.3 percent during 2005.

Meanwhile, smoking among female students in middle and high schools has fallen to 4.0 percent from 8.9 percent during 2005.

The education and health ministries and Korea’s disease control center surveyed 80,000 middle and high school students to conduct the annual research.

‘Male students’ smoking rate is stubbornly high,’ the education ministry said in a statement. ‘Given that the smoking rate of male high school seniors is 12 times higher than that of middle school first graders, we are trying to find ways to effectively educate younger teenagers about the negative effects of cigarettes.’

‘Curiosity’ is the biggest reason for trying the first cigarette, according to 54.4 percent of smokers.

But the data showed also that a student with a close friend who smoked was 25 times more likely to smoke than was a student who did not have a smoker as a close friend.

The education and health ministries expect the smoking rate will decrease when the government raises cigarette prices from an average of WON2,500 per pack to WON4,500 starting next year.

The government is expecting that consumption will decrease too with the banning of cigarette advertisements at retail stores and with the introduction of graphic warnings, which some believe are especially effective in curbing smoking among teenagers.