Students heading home after classes (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jan. 30 (Korea Bizwire) — The health of South Korean adolescents deteriorates markedly as students advance through school, with smoking, drinking, nutrition and mental health indicators worsening each year, according to a long-term government study released Thursday.
The report, published by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, found particularly sharp changes in smoking behavior, including a rise in e-cigarette use among teenage girls that has, for the first time, surpassed conventional cigarette smoking.
The findings are drawn from the Youth Health Panel Survey, a decade-long project tracking 5,051 students who were in sixth grade in 2019 through three years after high school graduation.
The newly released analysis focuses on data collected through 2024, when participants were in their second year of high school.
Researchers found that the share of students who had ever used tobacco rose steadily with age, climbing from just 0.35 percent in sixth grade to 9.59 percent by the second year of high school.
Among female students in that grade, current use of liquid-type e-cigarettes reached 1.54 percent, exceeding the 1.33 percent reported for traditional cigarettes — a shift experts say reflects lower social resistance to vaping among adolescents.
Alcohol use also increased sharply. More than 60 percent of participants said they had consumed at least a sip of alcohol, while one-third reported drinking at least a full glass.
The era of traditional cigarettes is slowly coming to an end, giving way to the age of e-cigarettes. Yet many smokers remain under the illusion that e-cigarettes are safe, while the harms of secondhand exposure are still being overlooked, experts warn. (Yonhap)
The transition from elementary to middle school emerged as a particularly vulnerable period, with the highest rate of new drinking experiences occurring in the first year of middle school.
Physical health indicators pointed to growing concerns. One in three students reported skipping breakfast at least five days a week, while intake of fruits, vegetables and dairy products declined. Only 13.5 percent met the recommended level of at least 60 minutes of daily physical activity, as study time increased and exercise fell.
Mental health warning signs were also evident. More than 35 percent of students experienced excessive smartphone dependence, and 8 percent showed symptoms consistent with moderate or severe anxiety disorders.
The study found that social environment played a decisive role in shaping risky behaviors. Adolescents were significantly more likely to smoke or drink if peers held permissive attitudes or if family members used tobacco or alcohol. Parental tolerance toward drinking was also linked to earlier initiation.
Health officials said the high panel retention rate of more than 80 percent strengthens the study’s value, offering rare insight into how adolescent habits influence health outcomes later in life.
The disease control agency said it plans to continue closely monitoring participants over the remaining three years of the study, calling the findings a critical foundation for future youth health policies.
“Health behaviors formed during adolescence shape well-being throughout adulthood,” the agency said, urging coordinated efforts by schools, families and local communities to address the growing risks.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
