KUALA LUMPUR: A new survey of Malaysian smokers reveals that nearly half, or 49 per cent, choose to vape to cut down on smoking cigarettes or quit completely.
The survey, carried out by Kantar Group, an international research agency, in late 2021, outlines usage and attitudes towards vaping, tobacco products and cigarettes in Malaysia and interviewed 500 people in the country.
"This appears consistent with mounting scientific evidence that smokers prefer vaping and is effective to help them kick the habit," said Health Diplomats' president and chief executive officer Dr Delon Human.
"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," he said.
Health Diplomats is a specialised health, nutrition, and wellness consulting group operating worldwide.
The survey also found that 52 per cent of Malaysian smokers perceive vaping to be less harmful than smoking cigarettes.
On this basis, 86 per cent said that vaping should be made available to smokers as a less harmful product, and 90 per cent believed that vaping should be actively promoted as a less harmful alternative to smoking cigarettes.
"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.
"Interestingly, the rate of Malaysian smokers understanding this fact is high compared to other countries," he said.
For example, Public Health England 2021 reviewed the evidence and stated that only 29 per cent of smokers in the UK believed vaping was less harmful than smoking, despite the country's adopting a harm reduction approach in encouraging cigarette smokers to switch to vaping, Dr Delon said.
The survey also gauged thoughts from Malaysians on regulations and found that 60 per cent have concerns that vaping products are not regulated.
The majority of them support regulations for e-cigarettes and believe they should be regulated as consumer products instead of medicinal products and should be dispensed by medical practitioners.
At the same time, an overwhelming 81 per cent 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.
"As Malaysia stands on the cusp of introducing laws to regulate vaping products, it is important to strike a balance to ensure measures do not obstruct smokers switching from smoking to less harmful alternatives and ensuring products are not used by those who are underage and non-smokers.
"A risk-proportionate regulation is an appropriate way to strike this balance by imposing the right controls and taking into account its potential to help reduce smoking prevalence in Malaysia," Dr Delon said.