PETALING JAYA: The 38,000 schoolgoers found to have picked up smoking received intervention and so far about five per cent have quit the habit, says Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.
He said 38,384 students were given intervention under the Oral Health Tobacco-Free (Kotak) initiative – 38,010 from secondary schools and 374 primary school pupils.
Of the number, 127 primary and 1,726 secondary students have given up smoking, he added in a parliamentary written reply dated Thursday (July 4).
To ensure that they do not pick up the habit again, the ministry had stepped up intervention programmes at their schools, he said.
Dzulkefly added that students found smoking would be referred to the counselling teacher under these programmes.
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“They can also seek treatment at the nearest health clinic under their parents’ supervision,” he added.
Dzulkefly said the ministry has also embarked on a five-year advocacy and intervention programme at higher education institutions through the mQUIT University programme and at workplaces through the mQUIT workplace programme.
The programme has also been extended to the community in collaboration with NGOs.
Datuk Dr Alias Ramli (PN-Kuala Nerus) had asked about the effectiveness of the Kotak programme, the number of students who had quit smoking, as well as measures taken to ensure that they do not fall back into the habit.
It was reported in March that the number of students who smoked was detected after 1.54 million secondary and 2.4 million primary students were screened nationwide under Kotak.
