PUTRAJAYA: Close to 80 per cent of Malaysians are exposed to tobacco smoke in restaurants, a Health Ministry study revealed.
The Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) Malaysia 2023 showed that among adults in Malaysia who visited various public places, 77.6 per cent were exposed to tobacco smoke in restaurants, 29.2 per cent were exposed in government buildings, 19 per cent on public transportation and 18.6 per cent in healthcare facilities.
The survey also said that 21 per cent or 1.8 million adults who worked indoors were exposed to tobacco smoke in their workplace, while 19.4 per cent (4.8 million) of adults in Malaysia were exposed to tobacco smoke at home.
It also found that slightly over 81 per cent of adults were aware of anti-cigarette information, with a majority of them noticing it on the internet.
Others see anti-cigarette information through television (52.2 per cent), billboards (49.8 per cent), radio (35.4 per cent) and others (5.8 per cent).
GATS is a nationally representative household survey conducted in over 30 countries around the world. In Malaysia GATS is conducted by the Health Ministry together with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organisation.
The GATS 2023 survey involved 5,780 households across all states, with respondents aged 15 years and above over a span of two months.