Background
Tobacco use has been the leading cause of disease and death in South Korea. Early detection of tobacco use and evidence-based interventions play pivotal roles in facilitating tobacco cessation.
Methods
In accordance with the earlier iterations of the Lifetime Health Maintenance Program (2009) and recent recommendations from the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF; 2021), two themes were chosen for investigation: the identification of and intervention for tobacco use. The USPSTF recommendations were formulated by conducting an overview of reviews. In this study, literature searches and quality assessments of reviews were conducted.
Results
The findings highlighted the efficacy of physician-led identification and advising in promoting tobacco cessation, with robust evidence supporting the implementation of behavioral and pharmacological interventions. These interventions significantly increased the likelihood of successful cessation compared with usual care. Digital interventions, such as internet- or mobile-based interventions, showed additive effects for quitting.
Conclusion
Identification and targeted interventions are essential for tobacco cessation. By leveraging evidencebased strategies and enhancing access to resources, healthcare providers can empower individuals to achieve successful tobacco cessation and improve overall health outcomes.

Citations

• A year of significant progress for the Korean Journal of Family Medicine
  Seung-Won Oh
  Korean Journal of Family Medicine.2026; 47(1): 1.     CrossRef

Although major countries, such as South Korea, have developed and disseminated national smoking cessation guidelines, these efforts have been limited to developing individual societies or specialized institution-based recommendations. Therefore, evidence-based clinical guidelines are essential for developing smoking cessation interventions and promoting effective smoking cessation treatments. This guideline targets frontline clinical practitioners involved in a smoking cessation treatment support program implemented in 2015 with the support of the National Health Insurance Service. The Guideline Development Group of 10 multidisciplinary smoking cessation experts employed the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE)-ADOLOPMENT approach to review recent domestic and international research and guidelines and to determine evidence levels using the GRADE methodology. The guideline panel formulated six strong recommendations and one conditional recommendation regarding pharmacotherapy choices among general and special populations (mental disorders and chronic obstructive lung disease [COPD]). Strong recommendations favor varenicline rather than a nicotine patch or bupropion, using varenicline even if they are not ready to quit, using extended pharmacotherapy (>12 weeks) rather than standard treatment (8–12 weeks), or using pharmacotherapy for individuals with mental disorders or COPD. The conditional recommendation suggests combining varenicline with a nicotine patch instead of using varenicline alone. Aligned with the Korean Society of Medicine’s clinical guideline development process, this is South Korea’s first domestic smoking cessation treatment guideline that follows standardized guidelines. Primarily focusing on pharmacotherapy, it can serve as a foundation for comprehensive future smoking cessation clinical guidelines, encompassing broader treatment topics beyond medications.

Citations

• Korean Clinical Practice Guideline of Korean Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (KSRNT) and National Evidence-Based Healthcare Collaborating Agency (NECA) on Treatment of Tobacco Use 2024
  Yoo-Bin Seo, Haine Lee, Yu-Jin Paek, Hyeon-Jeong Lee, Cheol Min Lee, Eon Sook Lee, Heejin Kimm, Hye-Ji An, Eun-Jung Bae, Ji Soo Kim, Sungwon Roh, Yoo Suk An, Sang-Ho Jo, Seo Young Kang, Yun Hee Kim, Kyung Hyun Suh, Sang Hwa Shin, Jin-Kyoung Oh, Dong Won P
  Journal of Korean Medical Science.2025;[Epub]     CrossRef