Background:In South Korea's multiproduct tobacco market, concurrent use of and transitions among combustible cigarettes (CC), e-cigarettes (EC), and heated tobacco products (HTP) has created diverse use states and transition patterns.However, inconsistent definitions limit comparability across studies.Methods: The current use of CC, EC, and HTP was encoded as a three-digit binary state (1=current use; 0=non-current use), generating eight mutually exclusive use states.All 64 possible transitions between consecutive observations were enumerated, classified using rule-based criteria, and represented through conceptual diagrams.Results: The eight use states were grouped into the following four categories: non-use, exclusive use, dual use, and triple use.The 64 transitions were further organized into the following eight mutually exclusive types: initiation, cessation, switching, entry into concurrent use, escalation, de-escalation, composition change, and maintenance.Conclusion: This framework establishes a standardized taxonomy for characterizing tobacco use states and transitions in South Korea and has the potential to enhance the design, reporting, and comparability of empirical research.
Cheon et al. (Mon,) studied this question.