The Analysis of Youth Perspectives on the Implementation of Act 852: Smoking Products Control for Public Health Act 2024 in Malaysia

HRMARS - The rise in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Malaysia highlights a critical issue for public health, particularly when the population of today's youth is now exposed and is being conditioned to accept the normalisation of tobacco products and electronic devices (vapes). The government has gazetted Act 852, the Smoking Products Control for Public Health Act 2024 as an intervention measure. This research is to examine the attitude, level of support and beliefs of youth towards the implementation of Act 852 in Malaysia. The method of this study is a quantitative method by using questionnaire techniques online. The total number of youth respondents interviewed was 150, ranging in age from 18 to 30 years, and selected through purposive sampling techniques, which was determined by them being representative across the different demographics that the policy seeks to address. The results indicate a very high level of support for the Act 852 (94.0%) and 95.3% of respondents indicated that they would act according to the regulations. 68.7% of respondents believe this act is an important tool to ensure future public health. But the trust gap in enforcement exists as 58.0% of respondents feel that access to smoking products in the market is still easy. The study findings indicate that in principle, this policy is well received, however, there is still a need to enhance the enforcement mechanisms to attain the goals of Act 852 without compromising.