The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Smoking Behaviour of Young Smokers and the Youth Quitline Service in Hong Kong

The Impact of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic on the Smoking Behaviour of Young Smokers and the Youth Quitline Service in Hong Kong: A Survey Study

The aims of the present study are:

1. To explore the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the smoking behavior of youth smokers
2. To explore the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the Youth Quitline service in Hong Kong

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has spread rapidly across the globe. According to World Health Organization (WHO), due to the harmful effects on the lungs and the possible viral transmission from fingers to mouth during smoking, tobacco use is considered a major risk factor for developing COVID-19. Both tobacco use and COVID-19 can cause damage to the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Smokers infected with COVID-19 are at higher risk of developing severe COVID-19 symptoms or death than non-smokers.

The Hong Kong SAR (HKSAR) government has announced different regulations to combat the spread of COVID-19 since late January 2020, which significantly affect the working patterns and everyday lives of people. It remains unknown how smoking habits and smoking cessation services are being affected during the pandemic.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Hong Kong resident aged 25 or below
• Able to communicate in Chinese (Cantonese)
• Smoked in the past 30 days

Exclusion Criteria:

• Have difficulty to communicate via telephone