2008/05/31
WORLD NO TOBACCO DAY: MAY 31 Why young girls take up smoking
Despite the government’s anti-smoking efforts, many perceive that society approves of smoking. Research revealed that young girls who had one close friend who smoked are 13 times most likely to smoke.
KUALA LUMPUR: External influences, including mothers who smoke, peers and advertisements, are causing many young girls and women to pick up the smoking habit.
This was revealed in a survey carried out by the Clearinghouse for Tobacco Control (C-Tob) of Universiti Sains Malaysia in January.
A policy report issued by C-Tob stated that girls whose mothers smoked were four times more likely to pick up the habit.
They are three times more likely to light up a cigarette if exposed to tobacco advertisements and promotions.
The research, aimed at protecting young girls and women, was conducted with the financial support of the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (Seatca), the Rockefeller Foundation and ThaiHealth.
The report will be submitted to the government and members of parliament in conjunction with the annual World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) today to enable it to be considered for inclusion in the proposed Tobacco Control Act. The theme for WNTD this year is "Tobacco-free Youth".
A spokesman for C-Tob, Associate Professor Dr Foong Kin, said external influences included advertising at retail outlets where cigarette packs with creative designs were displayed, special discounts and the sale of multi-packs and limited-edition products.
"Despite the government's anti-smoking efforts such as the Tak Nak campaign, about 60 per cent of the 3,000 respondents perceived that society approves of smoking and 95 per cent of them had been exposed to anti-smoking messages," she said.
She said although eight per cent of the 3,000 young girls and women, aged between 13 and 25 years, were smokers, about 40 per cent of them had been exposed to second-hand smoke.
"The research also showed that young females who have at least one close friend who smoked are 13 times more likely to smoke," said Dr Foong.
She said it was worrying that respondents who did not have a negative opinion of smoking were four times more likely to smoke.
"Our study strongly suggests that external influences are factors which caused these young girls and women to smoke," she said.
Dr Foong said a majority of the respondents also expressed strong support for the implementation of tobacco-control policies such as pictorial health warnings on cigarette packs and a complete ban on cigarette display at retail outlets.
However, she said 80 per cent of the respondents felt that there was poor compliance and inadequate enforcement of the smoking ban in public places.
Among the recommendations in the policy paper are:
- Banning smoking in clubs, discos, restaurants and public places;
- Putting graphic health warnings on the cigarette packs. Pictorial warnings should include messages about the harm done by passive smoking;
- Increase tax on tobacco products;
- Ban on display of cigarettes at retail outlets; and
- Limiting depictions of smoking in the mass media, smoking location restrictions and sales legislation.
"Malaysia should prioritise implementation of tobacco-control measures in line with recommendations of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)," said Dr Foong.
She called on the government to pass the draft Tobacco Control Act which should comply with the FCTC requirements, adding that it would help to curb smoking among the young.
Dr Foong also recommended that the tax on all tobacco products should be increased to 75 per cent of retail price as recommended by the World Bank to make them unaffordable to youths.
The policy paper said the government should also introduce a two per cent dedicated tax on tobacco products to support health promotion activities and increase anti-smoking campaigns.
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