Rising Tobacco and Alcohol Use Among Students Calls for Urgent Health Policies

A long-term study tracking the health behaviors of students from 6th grade to 12th grade has revealed a significant increase in smoking and drinking as students progress through school, alongside a notable decline in physical activity and healthy eating. Particularly concerning is the mental health and smartphone dependency among senior female students, which is more severe than their male counterparts.
 
On August 3, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) announced the results of the 7th Youth Health Panel Survey, which tracked 5,051 6th graders from 2019 to 2025. The latest findings analyze cumulative data from 3,756 participants who remained in the study for seven years.
 
The survey results indicate a deterioration in key health indicators as students advance in grade. The lifetime smoking rate, which was just 0.35% in 6th grade, surged to 11.93% by 12th grade (16.02% for boys and 7.64% for girls). The current smoking rate also increased dramatically from 0.01% in 6th grade to 5.30% in 12th grade.

A particularly alarming trend is the use of multiple tobacco products. Analysis of 12th graders' usage of traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and heated tobacco products revealed that the rate of using multiple products simultaneously was significantly higher than that of single product use.
 
Drinking behaviors are also troubling. The lifetime alcohol consumption rate rose from 36.4% in 6th grade to 68.4% in 12th grade, while the current drinking rate increased from 0.7% to 11.2%. Notably, the incidence of new drinking among students transitioning from 10th to 11th grade was the highest at 18.1%, indicating that many students are trying alcohol for the first time during this period.
 
In contrast, healthy eating and physical activity have significantly declined. Over the past six years, the rate of skipping breakfast increased by 14.9 percentage points (from 17.9% to 32.8%), while the rates of consuming fruits and vegetables at least once a day decreased by 19.1 percentage points and 12.4 percentage points, respectively. Conversely, consumption of fast food, sugary drinks, and high-caffeine beverages has risen. The rate of students engaging in at least 60 minutes of physical activity five days a week dropped to 11.4% among 12th graders, a decrease of 18.4 percentage points from six years ago (29.8%).
 
The survey also highlighted significant gender differences in mental health and smartphone dependency. Among 12th graders, the rate of experiencing moderate to severe anxiety was 11.4% for girls, approximately 2.2 times higher than the 5.3% rate for boys. Additionally, the experience rate of smartphone dependency was higher among girls (35.2%) compared to boys (28.8%).

KCDC Director Lim Seung-kwan stated, "The results of this long-term study tracking students from 6th to 12th grade serve as a public health warning that students' overall health behaviors, including smoking, drinking, diet, and physical activity, are deteriorating in an academic-focused environment. It is crucial that we do not view this as an individual issue but rather as a collective responsibility of families, schools, and society to eliminate harmful environments and urgently develop tailored youth health policies appropriate for their age."
 
The '7th Youth Health Panel Survey Statistics' can be accessed on the KCDC website. The raw data from the Youth Health Panel Survey (2019-2024) is available through the Micro Data Integrated Service (MDIS), and the 2025 raw data will also be released for continued use in youth health research.