INTERACTIVE: Deadly habit of Malaysian teens.

Summary: Rapid rise of vaping among youths.

By SHYAFIQ DZULKIFLI


PETALING JAYA: Nearly one in five adolescents in Malaysia use tobacco products, underscoring the high stakes in the country's anti-smoking efforts.

An anti-smoking law was passed by Parliament last month, but many lawmakers expressed disappointment during the debate over the removal of a generational endgame provision from the Bill.

The following are key statistics on how young Malaysians are increasingly hooked on the habit.

 


Rise of vaping

According to the Adolescent Health Survey 2022, 18.5% of adolescents (individuals aged between 13-17 years) use tobacco products.

The survey by the Health ministry found e-cigarettes/vape use increasing from 9.8% in 2017 to 14.9% last year.

Meanwhile, smoking cigarettes trend declined to 6.2% as compared to 2017 at 13.8%.  

 

 

Boys most affected

E-cigarette/vape prevalence in male adolescents is at 23.5%, almost four times higher than female adolescents (6.2%).

Cigarette smoking is meanwhile six time higher among boys (10.8%) compared to girls (1.7%).


Peers are the main pathways

The teens surveyed said they mainly picked up the smoking and vaping habit from friends.

 


Smoking related diseases and deaths

READ ALSO> INTERACTIVE: Heart disease is top cause of early deaths in Malaysia

Data from the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) shows that about 19.9% of the total cancer deaths in Malaysia are related to tobacco use.


 

  

The IHME’s 2019 data shows that smoking is one of the risk factors in more than 13% of deaths in Malaysia.

 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

INTERACTIVE: Malaysia’s growing small baby problem

By SHYAFIQ DZULKIFLI PETALING JAYA: The percentage of babies born underweight is going up in Malaysia, with experts describing the trend as worrying. Figures from the Statistics Department show that 12.9% (54,618) of the country’s live births in 2022 were classified as low birth weight (LBW). In 2010 the percentage of LBW newborns stood at 11.2% (54,964) of live births. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines LBW babies as those born with a weight of less than 2,500 grams. According to the WHO, the proportion of infants with a low birth weight is an indicator of a multifaceted public health problem that includes long-term maternal malnutrition, ill-health and poor health care in pregnancy. “Despite Malaysia's status as an upper-middle-income economy, the prevalence of low birth weight indicates that food security remains a substantial challenge for a significant segment of the population especially for pregnant mothers,” said consultant paedi...
Read more

Southern part of Johor sees a surge in international students

- The southern part of Johor has seen a significant increase in the number of international school students since 2020. - The data published in My Local Stats by the Department of Statistics Malaysia refers to primary and secondary international schools.  - Johor Bahru recorded the largest increase in international school students in 2022, with a total of 4,311 students compared to 125 students in 2020, an increase of 4,186 students. - Pasir Gudang experienced the second-largest increase in international school students, behind Johor Bahru. - The number of international school students registered in Pasir Gudang was 2,510 students in 2021 and rose to 2,517 in 2022. - Pasir Gudang only started having international schools in 2021. - The number of international schools in Johor Bahru increased to 15 in 2022. - Meanwhile, three districts in Johor saw a decline in international school students. - Batu Pahat's international school students recorded a sign...
Read more

Call to action for healthier newborns

Image
By SHYAFIQ DZULKIFLI   PETALING JAYA: One group of underweight newborns is particularly vulnerable to health problems. Known as Small for Gestational Age (SGA), babies who fall in this category are those who weigh less than the 10th percentile for their gestational age. In other words, SGA babies are smaller than 90% of other babies at the same number of weeks since conception. Some experts estimate that SGA babies make up about one-third of low birth weight (LBW) newborns, defined as those born with a weight of less than 2,500 grams. "SGA babies are particularly vulnerable. They are more prone to complications such as hypothermia, infections, respiratory issues, and metabolic problems shortly after birth,” said consultant paediatrician Datuk Dr Musa Nordin.   Datuk Dr Musa Nordin Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Faculty of Medicine deputy dean Prof Dr Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh said SGA births have several underlying causes. “Maternal factors such as poor diet, hypertensive or kidn...
Read more