Survey shows that one out of 10 children under the age of 12 smokes in Malaysia

The infographic portrays the findings from a survey conducted by the Institute of Public Heath on adolescent smokers. The results revealed that the smallest state in Malaysia, Perlis, records the highest percentage of adolescent smokers at 22.9%.
 
Besides, the survey also identifies 17.4% of Malaysian youth between the ages of 13 to 15 are smokers. Additionally, male smokers are recorded seven times more than the female counterpart – 24.3% to 3.7%.
 
Also, it is interesting to note that 9.2% of the children below the age of 12 have been exposed to this negative behavior. This means roughly one out of every 10 children age 12 and below are smokers.
 
Furthermore, the survey revealed that children living in the rural areas are more likely to pick up the bad habit as oppose to the urban children.
 
On January 1, 2019, the smoking ban proposed by the Health Ministry has been officially implemented, disallowing smoking at all eateries and restaurants. According to the ministry, the first 6 months of the implementation will be more of educating the smokers.
 
It is still early to judge on the outcome of the smoking ban. Nevertheless, the number of adolescent smokers in Malaysia is on an alarming state. Will the Health Ministry propose another initiative or policy to curb the adolescent smoking problem in our nation?