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Employment, Economic, and Sociodemographic Factors Associated with Changes in Smoking and Drinking Behaviors during the COVID-19 Pandemic in South Korea

Author

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  • Sun Yeop Lee

    (JW LEE Center for Global Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul 03087, Korea)

  • Sun Kim

    (Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA)

  • Woong-Han Kim

    (JW LEE Center for Global Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul 03087, Korea
    Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul 03080, Korea)

  • Jongho Heo

    (JW LEE Center for Global Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul 03087, Korea
    National Assembly Futures Institute, Seoul 07233, Korea)

Abstract

The societal disruptions resulting from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may have caused changes in smoking and alcohol consumption. Using data from the Koreans’ Happiness Survey, a nationally representative survey in South Korea, we (1) described population-level smoking and drinking behaviors; (2) assessed changes in smoking and drinking behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic; and (3) identified employment, economic, and sociodemographic factors associated with these changes using multinomial logistic regression. The overall amount of smoking and drinking decreased during the pandemic, but the changes were heterogeneous across subgroups. Male gender, receipt of the basic living allowance, self-employment, unemployment, and chronic disease status were associated with increased smoking, while higher household income, temporary worker status, living with someone (versus alone), and having fewer offline friends were associated with decreased smoking. Male gender, self-employment, living alone, having more offline friends, and chronic disease status were associated with increased drinking, while younger age, male gender, low and high household income (i.e., a U-shaped relationship), long-term rent with a deposit, temporary worker status, and chronic disease status were associated with decreased drinking. Our findings provide evidence on changes in smoking and drinking during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea and differential changes across subgroups.

Suggested Citation

  • Sun Yeop Lee & Sun Kim & Woong-Han Kim & Jongho Heo, 2022. "Employment, Economic, and Sociodemographic Factors Associated with Changes in Smoking and Drinking Behaviors during the COVID-19 Pandemic in South Korea," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(5), pages 1-14, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:5:p:2802-:d:760418
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Aum, Sangmin & Lee, Sang Yoon (Tim) & Shin, Yongseok, 2021. "COVID-19 doesn’t need lockdowns to destroy jobs: The effect of local outbreaks in Korea," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
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    4. Heide Busse & Christoph Buck & Christiane Stock & Hajo Zeeb & Claudia R. Pischke & Paula Mayara Matos Fialho & Claus Wendt & Stefanie Maria Helmer, 2021. "Engagement in Health Risk Behaviours before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic in German University Students: Results of a Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-16, February.
    5. Víctor J. Villanueva-Blasco & Verónica Villanueva Silvestre & Manuel Isorna & Patricia Motos & Pere Blay & Andrea Vázquez-Martínez, 2021. "Changes in Alcohol Consumption Pattern Based on Gender during COVID-19 Confinement in Spain," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(15), pages 1-12, July.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Sara, Raisa, 2023. "The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on alcohol and tobacco consumption: Evidence from Peru," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 325(C).

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