Study: Malaysians Vape to Cut Smoking
Nearly half (49 percent) of Malaysian smokers choose to vape to cut down on cigarette consumption or quit smoking completely, reports The New Straits Times, citing a 2021 survey of 500 people carried out by Kantar Group
“This appears consistent with mounting scientific evidence that smokers prefer vaping and is effective to help them kick the habit,” said Delon Human, president and CEO of Health Diplomats, a health, nutrition, and wellness consulting group.
“Available evidence so far shows that most smokers want to quit the habit. For example, in the United Kingdom, around two-thirds of smokers, regardless of their social group, want to stop smoking, and vaping has become the method of choice to quit smoking in that country,” Human said.
The survey also found that 52 percent of Malaysian smokers perceive vaping to be less harmful than smoking cigarettes. Eighty-six percent said that vaping should be made available to smokers as a less harmful product, and 90 percent believed that vaping should be actively promoted as a less harmful alternative to smoking cigarettes.
This study shows vaping in Malaysia has great potential to help the government reduce smoking prevalence as it is a popular tool used by smokers to cut down and quit smoking.
“Studies on the use of e-cigarettes have pointed to the fact that vaping is not risk-free but significantly less harmful than smoking cigarettes,” said Human. “Interestingly, the rate of Malaysian smokers understanding this fact is high compared to other countries,” he said.
In the U.K., by contrast, only 29 percent of smokers believe vaping was less harmful than smoking, despite the country’s adopting a harm reduction approach in encouraging cigarette smokers to switch to vaping, according to Human.
Malaysia is currently contemplating new rules for e-cigarettes.
Most of the Malaysians surveyed support regulations for e-cigarettes and believe they should be regulated as consumer products instead of medicinal products.
At the same time, 81 percent believe regulations must be put in place to ensure the products are not defective and meet product and quality standards and are not sold to minors or underage children.
“This study shows vaping in Malaysia has great potential to help the government reduce smoking prevalence as it is a popular tool used by smokers to cut down and quit smoking,” said Human.