KUCHING: The prevalence of electronic cigarettes or vaping among teenagers is on the rise due to the accessibility of these devices without stringent regulation.
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Dean, Professor Dr Asri Said, said the 2022 National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) report shows how important the Tobacco and Smoking Product Control Bill (RUU) is presented again and approved.
According to him, one of the reasons for the increasing use of electronic cigarettes is the lack of knowledge about the dangers of the devices.
“In addition, the device is easily obtained without strict controls.
“Therefore, it is very important that the Tobacco and Smoking Products Control Bill be presented again and approved by Parliament.
“We are worried that aggressive marketing will continue to influence the perception and habits of teenagers to try electronic cigarettes,” he lamented.
He explained, products like this are sold with various flavours and packaging that is very attractive as if it were candy.
He added that the habit of using electronic cigarettes is worrying as it could become a “gateway effect”.
“Teenagers will be more open to smoking. Some studies show that teenagers who start playing around with electronic cigarettes are more likely to smoke as adults.
“In addition to increasing the risk of addiction to smoking, electronic cigarettes have a risk for Electronic Vape Associated Lung Injury (EVALI).
“Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH) reports that there have been 18 EVALI cases since 2022 and they are spending high costs for hospital treatment,” he stressed.
Asri pointed out that looking at the details of the NHMS data, the pattern of using tobacco products has changed among teenagers.
“In 2017 the smoking rate was 13.8 per cent among teenagers, but it will decrease to 6.2 per cent in 2022.
“But there is an increase in the use of electronic cigarette devices from 9.8 per cent in 2017 to 14.9 per cent last year,” he said.
Meanwhile, Director-General of Health Datuk Dr Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan said that a significant increase also occurred among teenage girls, from 2.8 per cent in 2017 to 6.2 per cent in 2022.
