Smoking among Malaysian Adolescents

Smoking has been one of the major causes of many chronic diseases, including cancer. Increase prevalence of early age smoking is major concern in Malaysia. The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence, contributing factors and perception towards early age smoking in. A validated questionnaire was distributed to 300 respondents with the age range from 10 to 19 years old. Collected data was analyzed using SPSS version 20 using t-test, one-way ANOVA, chi-square test, correlation and regression. The prevalence of smoking is 34% in which majority of the smokers are Malay, Muslim and male. Smoking status was found to be associated with religion, gender, and ethnicity. The mean age to start smoking is 11 years old. The factors that contribute to smoking are curiosity, peer influence, smoking father and to fit in with friends. Meanwhile, the level of perception towards early age smoking is good. Eduuitional level found to be associated with perception towards early age smoking and a, negative correlation was found between age and perception towards early age smoking. The findings of this study can be used as a guide for future plan and implementation for proper intervention in Malaysia.