A young man smokes an e-cigarette on a street in Phnom Penh. KT/Yarn Soveit
A case study conducted by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) has found that 60% of teachers and students across the country lack awareness about the side-effects of e-cigarettes. However, a whopping 89% of the students know they are available despite not being aware of their adverse impacts on health.
Kim Sethany, Secretary of State of the MoEYS, said yesterday, “Social media networks are the main source of e-cigarette distribution among children and youth. Students develop the habit of using e-cigarette through sellers who get in touch with them directly or indirectly.”
She added that managements of general education institutions have been instructed to increase inspections and ban the use and distribution of e-cigarettes in their premises based on the recommendations from the study conducted by the MoEYS,
Relevant ministries and authorities were also urged to take legal action against those distributing e-cigarettes, especially sellers and advertisers on social media such as Facebook, Tik Tok, Instagram, she added.
She urged the authorities to examine the possibility of banning the import of e-cigarettes and all types of tobacco products to protect the youth and children from being harmed by the them.
Suon Phileap, an official with the Department of Health Education, said that the study has also found that more than 50% of school principals are aware that the e-cigarettes are present in the Kingdom, but majority lack awareness about the impact of the e-cigarettes.
Of the teachers, 70% are aware of the availability of the e-cigarettes but more than 55% of teachers are not yet fully aware that it affect the health of users.
He added that among students, from primary to high school, more than 89% know that e-cigarettes are available in ther communities, though they lack awareness about its bad impact on their health as well as those around them.
“We found that a vast majority of students have said that they had seen them on Facebook, Tik Tok, and even seen their friends friends using it,” he said.
Phileap added that most of the students said that the reason why students start using e-cigarettes is to try to “show off their chivalrous side, and to have fun smoking with friends and also to get rid of bad breath because it has a sweet smell”.
Dem Niaye, a project officer at the Cambodian Movement for Health (CMH), said that currently the public use of e-cigarettes (Vape) and other similar products is rare because they are consumed secretly. But, young people gather in cafes shop and outside the school premises to use these products.
He added CMH has found that several people are promoting e-cigarettes on social media platforms including 185 pages and 58 groups on Facebook, besides other online channels.
Source: Khmer Times
March 23, 2023
Survey reveals awareness of e-cigarettes lacking – Khmer Times (khmertimeskh.com)