Surge in ecigarette use in Malaysia

PUTRAJAYA: There has been an increase of 600% in the number of ecigarette users in the country over the past 12 years, a study shows.

According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2023, the prevalence of ecigarette use among those aged between 15 and 24 increased from 1.1% in 2011 to 8.6% in 2023.

“There has been a surge in ecigarette use in Malaysia.

There were around 5.8% of ecigarette users in 2023, compared to 0.8% in 2011, which is more than a 600% increase,” it said.

The study also found that overall, 68.1% of adults had heard of ecigarettes, 8.9% (10.5% of men and 0.8% of women) had used ecigarette, and 5.8% of adults currently use ecigarettes.

These were among the key findings of the survey, which was released during the launch of the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2023 and the Global Adult Tobacco Survey Malaysia 2023 yesterday. It also found that smoking cessation and healthcare behaviour among adult smokers at present and those who made attempts to quit over the last 12 months have remained stagnant.

However, the study said exposure to tobacco smoke in homes, workplaces and public transportation significantly declined from 2011 to 2023.

A total of 4.8 million adults in the country smoke tobacco, while a total of 3.7 million (14.6%) adults currently smoke tobacco daily.

The findings of the study enable countries to collect data on tobacco use and key tobacco control measures. A nationwide survey in Malaysia involved respondents aged 15 and above from 5,780 randomly selected households representing urban and rural areas.