Comparative Study on Tobacco Control Policy Support between Single and Multi-Tobacco Users in Korea

Background:The rapid growth of novel tobacco products has increased multiproduct use.Comparing policy support between single and multiproduct users is essential for achieving a "tobacco endgame."Methods: This cross-sectional study surveyed 1,217 South Korean adults using simple random sampling stratified by sex, age, and region.Support for five tobacco control policies, including comprehensive indoor smoking bans, a total advertising ban, retailer restrictions, sales bans near schools, and a total tobacco sales ban within 10 years.Modified Poisson regression with robust variance was employed to examine associations between tobacco use patterns and policy support.Results: Tobacco use patterns differed by sociodemographics (P.0001).Current users were predominantly male, and multiproduct users were common among those aged 20-39.Policy support varied (P.0001), remaining high among nonusers and former users (70%-90%) but lower among current users (34%-65%).Indoor smoking bans and sales bans near schools received the highest support, whereas a total sales ban within 10 years received the lowest support.Both single and multiproduct users were less likely to support all policies than lifelong nonusers (P.0001), with the lowest support for a total tobacco sales ban within 10 years among both users (single users, aPR=0.474;multiproduct users, aPR=0.492).Conclusion: Low policy support among current single and multiproduct users is a major barrier to policy implementation.Given the low level of support among multiproduct users and the heterogeneity of regulatory preferences by use type, more sophisticated and tailored policy designs reflecting group-specific characteristics are required to achieve the tobacco endgame.