Tobacco Induced Diseases (Feb 2025)

Association between different types of smoking and first sexual behavior in adolescents: Survey data from South Korea

  • Yunyun Wu,
  • Wenbin Du

DOI
https://doi.org/10.18332/tid/200197
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 23, no. February
pp. 1 – 12

Abstract

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Introduction Adolescent deviant behaviors can severely hinder their healthy development. This study explores the relationship between tobacco consumption and sexual behavior in Korean adolescents. Methods This is a secondary dataset analysis of the pooled KYRBS cross-sectional studies from 2018 to 2022. Sexual behavior generally refers to physical contact or interactions related to sex. In this study, sexual behavior primarily refers to intercourse. A logit model was applied to examine the relationship between different types of tobacco use and the initiation of sexual behavior. Furthermore, data from the KYRBS 2018–2021 were used to analyze the time-related patterns in the connection between tobacco use and the first occurrence of sexual behavior among adolescents, with a focus on the moderating role of gender. Results Tobacco use among adolescents was positively associated with the occurrence of sexual behavior. After adjusting for other variables, adolescents who use ordinary cigarettes (AOR=7.85; 95% CI: 7.49–8.23), nicotine e-cigarettes (AOR=8.21; 95% CI: 7.80–8.64), or combustible e-cigarettes (AOR=9.86; 95% CI: 9.26–10.49) were more likely to engage in sexual behavior than non-users. Further research indicates that the earlier an individual reported beginning smoking tobacco, the earlier their first sexual encounter occurs, the correlation coefficient is 0.526 (p<0.01). Additionally, in the moderation analysis, the male group weakened the trend in the time to first tobacco use and first sexual behavior. Conclusions The use of different types of tobacco among Korean adolescents is strongly associated with sexual behavior. Adolescents are starting to engage in sexual activity at a younger age, especially males. Thus, providing reproductive health education to adolescent smokers could enhance their sexual decisionmaking. Furthermore, implementing tobacco cessation and sexual education for adolescents necessitates the development of gender-specific strategies to meet the distinct needs of males and females.

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