Key Points
- Primary: 2,711,479 screened; 230 identified as smokers, including 55 using conventional cigarettes and 138 using e-cigarettes/vapes; 201 entered cessation interventions.
- Secondary: 1,870,427 screened; 44,211 identified as smokers, including 17,172 using conventional cigarettes and 19,782 using e-cigarettes/vapes; 36,870 entered cessation interventions.
- Cessation services: 857 clinics offering behavioral therapy, pharmacotherapy, or both, typically over six months.
- Programme outcomes (adults, 2024): 38,467 registered; 8,659 set a quit date; 4,916 quit—56.8% success among those who set a quit date.
- Digital support: 1,968 clients received online cessation counselling via JomQuit between October 2024 and last month.
- Policy goal: Initiatives align with MOH’s aspiration to build a smoke-free generation.
2Firsts, Sep 10, 2025 — From NST's report, Nearly 44,500 students in Malaysia used smoking products in 2024, according to Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad in a written reply to the Dewan Negara. The figure comprises 44,211 secondary school students and 230 primary school pupils, identified through the Oral Health Without Smoking Practices Programme.
Among primary pupils, the programme screened 2,711,479 students nationwide and identified 230 as smokers, including 55 who used conventional cigarettes and 138 who used e-cigarettes or vapes. Of these, 201 participated in smoking-cessation interventions.
For secondary students, 1,870,427 were screened, with 44,211 identified as smokers, including 17,172 using conventional cigarettes and 19,782 using e-cigarettes or vapes. 36,870 of these students entered cessation interventions. The update was provided in response to a question from Senator Datuk Seri Dr Mujahid Yusof on programme effectiveness among youth.
Dr Dzulkefly said the Health Ministry supports quitting through 857 clinics offering behavioral modification therapy, pharmacotherapy, or combined approaches, typically over a six-month period. In 2024, 38,467 smokers registered for the national cessation programme; 8,659 set a quit date and 4,916 successfully quit—representing a 56.8% success rate among those who scheduled a quit attempt.
The ministry has also expanded digital access via the JomQuit platform, which provides online consultations with certified healthcare professionals. Between October 2024 and last month, 1,968 clients received cessation counselling through JomQuit.
“These initiatives reflect the effectiveness of programmes designed to help the younger generation break free from smoking and vaping addiction, in line with the Ministry’s aspiration to create a smoke-free generation,” Dr Dzulkefly said.
