SINGAPORE MALAYS GREATER SMOKERS

By Zakaria Abdul Wahab

SINGAPORE, Jan 13 (Bernama) -– The Singapore Malays are greater smokers than
the Chinese and Indians in the island republic, the government said.

The health ministry said Malays’ smoking prevalence was more than double
that
of Chinese or Indians.

Malay men aged between 30 and 39, had the highest smoking prevalence of 49
per cent as compared to 19 per cent for Chinese and 12 per cent for Indians, the
ministry told the Singapore Parliament.

In a written reply to oral questions released Wednesday, the ministry
however
said Singapore women smoking prevalence was low at single digit percentage,
except for young Malay women recording 14 per cent.

The ministry said, more than half of women smokers were below 29 years old
and their smoking rate had risen sharply from five per cent in 1998 to nine
per cent in 2007.

Saying Singapore’s smoking prevalence was among the lowest in the world,
the
ministry said concerted efforts by the National Smoking Control Programme since
the 1970s, had reduced the smoking prevalence in the city-state from above 25
per cent to below 14 per cent currently.

However, there were still about 360,000 Singaporeans who smoked, the
ministry added.

Due to that, it said the government must not be complacent in its
anti-smoking drive such as keeping tobacco taxation high, frequent reviews and
timely update of tobacco control legislation, banning smoking in public places,
providing effective smoking cessation services and actively educating
Singaporeans on the dangers of smoking.

It added that it also conducted ongoing campaigns targeting Malay men, which
was in its sixth year, with reasonable success among its participants.

The ministry admitted that it was not easy to change the smokers’ habit
although they knew that cigarettes were harmful to them.

-- BERNAMA