Dear MPs, please vote for our children’s future wellbeing

 

From Dr Amar-Singh HSS, Dr Selva Kumar, Dr Musa Mohd Nordin, Dr Zulkifli Ismail & Dr Thiyagar Nadarajaw

The critical Tobacco and Smoking Control Bill is to be tabled in Parliament this week. It is one of the most critical bills that will affect the health and social wellbeing of many generations of our children. It is vital that all MPs are fully aware of the issues and support this important bill.

It is important to remember that the bill does not limit smoking in adults but aims to stop the sale and use of cigarettes and vaping products in all children born from 2005, that is those who will be 18 in 2023.

Smoking is a fast growing epidemic in our children.

The 2019 National Health and Morbidity Survey provides us with comprehensive national data on smoking behaviour in teenagers. The data is alarming for children aged 15 to 19 years:

• 11.6% (303,800) were current cigarette smokers;
• 7.5% (196,000) were vaping or using e-cigarettes; and
• Overall, 15.6% of all teenagers aged 15-19 years were using a tobacco product.

It is expected that the number of vapers would have gone up considerably in recent years, since that national survey was conducted.

As paediatricians, we are aware of many younger children introduced to vaping tobacco products by means of attractive flavours/devices and the “look-cool” appeal.

Teenagers can be easily seen, all over the country, vaping and puffing away. Many start as early as nine or 10 years of age and get hooked. It is well established that most smokers pick up the habit while they are teenagers; vaping only makes this addiction so much easier to acquire.

It is of concern that the National Tobacco and E-cigarette survey among Malaysian Adolescents (Tecma), as far back as 2016, showed that 9.1% of Malaysian adolescents aged 10 to 19 years were currently e-cigarette/vape users. This amounts to at least 600,000 children. Half of these first started vaping before the age of 14 years.

Tobacco addiction is extremely difficult to get out of. Some progress on to using more addictive and harmful drugs.

We would appeal to our MPs to think about the health and wellbeing of all our children, for today and future generations. Please vote in favour of the Tobacco and Smoking Control Bill. The impact on combating a major source of social ill in our society, the long-term reduction in health problems/deaths and the improved lifestyle for our children will be immeasurable.

A positive vote for this bill is a positive vote for an investment in our childrens’ present and future health and well-being.

A positive vote for this bill is a vote of hope for all the families whose children will no longer be trapped in smoking/vaping addiction.

A positive vote for this bill is a vote that offers support to our health system to reduce a major disease burden. - FMT

Dr Amar-Singh HSS, Dr Musa Mohd Nordin and Dr Zulkifli Ismail are consultant paediatricians.

Dr Selva Kumar is a consultant paediatrician and president of the Malaysian Paediatric Association (MPA).

Dr Thiyagar Nadarajaw is a consultant paediatrician and vice-president of the Malaysian Association for Adolescent Health (MAAH).

The views expressed are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.