PETALING JAYA: The Department of Health is conducting a survey to assess the extent to which adults are ready to quit smoking amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We would like to invite you to participate in a national research titled Preparing to Quit Smoking Among Adult Smokers in Malaysia,” the ministry said on Twitter Tuesday (June 1st).

He said the investigation is a collaboration between the ministry and two universities – Universiti Malaysia Sabah and Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia.

In an immediate response, the Chief Coordinator of the Center for Addiction Sciences at Universiti Malaya (UMCAS) Assoc Prof Dr Amer Siddiq Amer Nordin said that it is very important to have these studies.

He said such studies would provide a better understanding of the motivation behind quitting smoking during this time and the barriers people face in trying to quit smoking.

“A point of learning about Tak Nak campaign many years ago is that it has improved people’s awareness. We can still recite ‘Tak Nak’ which is to quit smoking. However, do we know where to find help when we want to quit smoking, “he said.

Amer Siddiq added that things have improved since then with the mQuit smokeless generation initiative since 2015.

“The latest statistics show a growing tendency for people to stop using jomquit.com, however, things are a little different during this pandemic and this order of movement control, ”he added.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Tobacco Control Council (MCTC) Chairman Datuk Dr Lekhraj Rampal said strong action needs to be taken to encourage adults in Malaysia to quit smoking.

“The government needs to do more on smoking prevention. There have been many studies on the impact of Covid-19 on smokers. Authorities need to find a whole new approach to ensure that more people quit smoking “, did he declare.

Similar studies have been carried out internationally on the impact of Covid-19 on smoking cessation, particularly in Turkey and the Netherlands.