CIGARETTE SMOKING BY WOMEN (Reasons)

Column No : 1008

CIGARETTE SMOKING BY WOMEN:

(Reasons): 7.

Mdm Cynthia Phua asked the Minister for Health what are the main reasons why our women are taking up cigarette smoking.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health (Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman) (for the Minister for Health): Mr Speaker, the vast majority of Singaporean women do not smoke. Our smoking rate in women aged 18 to 69 years is 3.5%. This is among the lowest in the world. The Australian, US and UK rates are 18%, 21% and 26% respectively. Within Asia, the rates in South Korea, Taiwan and Japan are 5.5%, 5.8% and 11.5% respectively. So ours is really one of the lowest in Asia as well as in the world.

But the trend among the young females is slightly disturbing. The 2004 National Health Survey showed that the proportion of young women smokers aged 18 to 29 years increased from 5.2% in 1998 to 6.6% in 2004. In this group, smoking among Malay girls was 17.0%, compared to 5.1% among Chinese and 2.4% among Indian young women.

The question is: why do young ladies smoke, not just women in general because the problem is amongst young women? Overseas studies attribute it to the aggressive advertising by tobacco companies where cigarettes are promoted to women using images of vitality, slimness, modernity, emancipation, sophistication and even sexual allure. We see similar images being promoted in films and television shows here. In a local survey carried out by the Health Promotion Board, young women explained that they smoked because of peer pressure, to relieve stress, control their weight and improve their social image.

The social and cultural constraints which previously discouraged Asian women from smoking are weakening as traditions give way to westernisation. Smoking among women is thus a complex issue of identity and lifestyle. Recognising this, my Ministry and the Health Promotion Board will target our programmes more towards younger women. We have embarked on a year-long young women smoking control programme using multi-media and multi-pronged approaches. This includes advertising, public relations, lifestyle marketing through events and partnerships, and the provision of quit smoking services.

Mdm Cynthia Phua: Sir, can the Parliamentary Secretary look into the current publicity materials for anti-smoking? The reason is that the current publicity materials are targeted at men, rather than women. He may want to send the right message also to our young ladies.

Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman: Sir, indeed, we have found successes in working with the men. The smoking rates for men have reduced significantly. For example, for the Malay men, which was one of the problems we had, it had dropped from 42% in 1998 to 30% in 2004. For Indian males, it was 31% in 1998 to 22% in 2004. There has been success in working with the men. And Mdm Cynthia Phua is right. We should learn from the experiences in working with men. We do have specific programmes for women. We have what we call the "fresh air for women" which targets specifically at the younger women in terms of their smoking habits. I think we will take that point to revisit our advertising as well as our promotional materials for these anti-smoking campaigns to make sure that it is more targeted and specific to the younger women population.

Mr Zainudin Nordin (Bishan-Toa Payoh): Mr Speaker, I would just like to know whether the Parliamentary Secretary would have an answer to why the number for the Malay young women is much more pronounced.

Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman: It is something that we are also quite curious when we look at the numbers. They are the ones who actually have shown the greatest increase over the last five years. In 1998, their percentage was only 10% and today it is 17%. Anecdotal experience shows that it is more peer pressure. It is an issue of the groups that they hang out with. Anecdotal experience also suggests that they are the ones who hang out with the hip-hop groups. We are still looking at the specifics in terms of reasons why they get into smoking habits and the programmes are really targeted at them. One of the issues about dealing with the young smokers is the issue of modelling. Many of them model after someone in terms of that smoking behaviour. Our strategy is to find good role models of former smokers who have made good and somebody they can identify with so that they can see that there is possibility of success in quitting smoking.

Dr Lily Neo (Jalan Besar): Mr Speaker, may I ask the Parliamentary Secretary whether we should also target our schools, especially secondary schools, in trying to curb the trend of young women smokers?

Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman: Sir, there are current programmes in schools on anti-smoking and smoking cessation programmes. Yes, so far, the programmes tended to focus on the young boys. But I think with current trends that we are seeing, we will specifically focus also on the young girls, not so much about smoking cessation but smoking prevention.

Mr Zainudin Nordin: Mr Speaker, I would just like to know whether MOH has any study to show the correlation that if they start to smoke, it would lead to other things like exploring drugs or whatsoever.

Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman: I do not think we have local data to suggest that at this point in time. But data on addictions overseas have suggested that there are possibilities of issues of what they call "gateway" drugs, not so much smoking per se but possibly relations between drinking and other forms of substance abuse. In terms of relationship between smoking and other substances, the literature is rather inconclusive at this point in time. On local data, we do not have any specific conclusions with regard to the relationship between smoking and other substance abuse either.