Tobacco Smoking and Health-Related Quality of Life During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Correspondence.

Dear Editor

We read the article entitle “The Negative Impact of Tobacco Smoking on Health-Related Quality of Life among Saudi Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic (Al Kalif et al., 2021).” Al Kalif et al., (2021) concluded that “The results indicate that smoking has a negative impact on the quality of life of vocational students. Therefore, a health strategies plan may be developed to improve the quality of life for vocational students in Saudi Arabia.” We agree that the smoking can result in negative health impact and poor quality of life might be the result. Indeed, the negative impact of smoking is a well-known knowledge. Considering the present study, Al Kalif et al., (2021) focused on the period of COVID-19 pandemic. There are some simple questions that should be raised. First, whether COVID-19 pandemic alter the smoking rate. We might also further extrapolate to whether it can affect long - term smoking related lung cancer incidence.

In a recent report, increasing number of E-cigarette smokers is observed comparing to pre-COVID period (Gallus et al., 2022). In another study from Poland, a smoker smoked more cigarettes than pre-COVID-19 period (Kosendiak et al., 2021). Based on these data, it might assume that that there should be an increased problem of cigarette related cancer in the future as a result of change of smoking behavior pattern during COVID-19 pandemic period. Regarding specific interrelationship between COVID-19 and smoking. A recent study showed that one who smoke has a chance to develop anxiety during COVID-19 lockdown (Tareke et al., 2022). Therefore, the mental health dimension of quality of life of smoker should be decreased during pandemic and this result is concordant with the observation by Al Kalif et al., (2021).

Conflict of interest

None.