One often notes how deeply cigarettes seem to be ingrained in KAIST’s very being: from the copious numbers of cigarette butts scattered around windows and balconies to complaints on ARA about smoking in dormitory rooms and bathrooms. These facts testify to something almost everyone here is aware of: the sheer number of smokers in the university population. Although this is partly understandable given KAIST’s high-stress, high-pressure environment, cigarettes are clearly not doing any favors to the health of smokers and non-smokers alike. Naturally, the KAIST Health Care Center (KHCC) has taken a keen interest in actively addressing this problem. The KAIST Herald went to investigate the Anti-Smoking Clinic which opened this month.

▲ Eun-hee Lee | Igor Chertkov

Can you introduce yourself and this operation?

Hello, my name is Eun-Hee Lee and I am with the KHCC. Students may know me from the Campus Clinic in Taewoolgwan, and I am in charge of the KAIST Smoking Cessation Project (KSCP), of which the Anti-Smoking Clinic is a part. This comprehensive project aims to guide KAIST’s smokers to quit of their own accord by providing active material and clinical assistance. It also attempts to educate the collective university community about the dangers of smoking. From my knowledge, the KSCP is the first of its kind that targets a specific university community.

What prompted you to start this project? 

There have been anti-smoking clinics in the past, though they were usually efforts from authorities such as the Yuseong Public Health Center. Consequently they were one-off endeavors that had limited long-term effects. Yet I was able to witness the demand for such sessions by our students. I was also aware of the kind of environment that prospective smokers here are exposed to; for example, even though we have a significant proportion of underage students, there still are cigarette vending machines installed in the dormitories. We didn’t even have reliable statistics on the numbers and proportions of smokers, though the clear increase in these statistics as students get older may confirm that the KAIST environment is conducive to smoking. Clearly, the school wasn’t doing enough for its students’ health. This led me to initiate the KSCP and with the enthusiastic reception so far, I am convinced that I was right to do so.

How exactly does the project plan to achieve its intended goals? 

Let me introduce the individual programs that are part of the KSCP. The core of the project is devoted to the “Personal Smoking Cessation Program,” a four-week long program that ultimately seeks to distance smokers from cigarettes for a minimum of six months through one-on-one clinical sessions. These take place every Friday in the Creative Learning Building’s lobby; students willing to take part can reserve meetings in advance, though many so far have chosen to visit us without such procedures. For the first month, we hold weekly sessions with clients to test their physical statistics, instruct them on modes of action and monitor their progress. If successful, this period usually bears smokers through the worst of withdrawal symptoms. We provide appropriate materials that may aid this process, such as nicotine patches and gum. For the next five months, we plan to intermittently monitor patients to see how they are dealing with the smoking cessation.

We also plan to open group counseling sessions with the so-called “5&6 Program.” This is scheduled to open every semester in April and November to provide more students with the opportunity to seek our help. This five-week long program has aspects of a support group as well as a clinic, enabling patients to bond with each other. Each weekly session will provide progressively more information on smoking that may facilitate the process. Significantly, we have taken great lengths to seek out the expertise of Professor Young Ja Lee of Woosong University, a public authority on tobacco counseling. Students may rest assured of the quality of this operation. Aside from the two programs outlined, the KSCP also has plans to initiate anti-smoking campaigns as well as a comprehensive survey on smoking at KAIST.

Thank you. Do you have anything to say to the students?

I am for one glad that so many students have shown interest. For those students intending to quit smoking, I must stress that success is almost entirely dependent on individual willpower and determination. This clinic is open to anyone and everyone who has that confidence. By aiding these people in their efforts, the KHCC hopes these attempts will ultimately lead campus culture away from smoking and to a happier and healthier environment for all.

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