Please stop hurting us
‘BROTHER, I know you’re stressed, and it’s addictive, but please stop smoking because it hurts our family and I want you to lead a healthy and happy life.’
This was an excerpt from a letter written by a 12-year-old pupil who participated in Universiti Malaya’s Nicotine Addiction Research & Collaboration Group (NARCC) smoking prevention programme in schools.
Programme lead Dr Nur Amani@ Natasha Ahmad Tajuddin started the initiative in 2015 with primary school pupils.
This year, it was expanded to secondary schools.
“We go to schools that invite us. Our team is small but we’re very focused.
“The aim is to raise awareness among students about the dangers of smoking.
“The activities, depending on the maturity of the students, range from games, talks and poster drawing, to sharing sessions by a former drug addict. This is the first time we asked them to pen down their feelings to share with the class.”
Adults don’t give children, and adolescents, enough credit. They have opinions and they think about health issues too. Allowing them to share their feelings, she says, is important if we’re to effectively address smoking in schools.
“So during our recent visit to a school in Petaling Jaya, we got 150 Year Six pupils to write down what they want to say to smokers whether it’s a family member, or the public. This is an activity we want to continue with because the response has been very good. Everyone wanted to read their letter to the class.”
Dr Nur Amani, who’s a medical doctor and this year’s KL Nicotine Addiction International Conference organising chairman, has also coauthored a book on puberty for adolescents.
Listening to the students was eye-opening, she says. By the end of the session, everyone took a pledge to stay away from cigarettes.
“I had to hold back my tears because it was so emotional. The letters were heart-felt. One pupil pleaded with the father to quit smoking because ‘I love you and I want you to live a long life’.
“Another pupil advised pregnant smokers to stop because it could harm the baby. They’re not clueless. Don’t underestimate our kids. We must let them have a say in tobacco advocacy if we want to achieve a smoke-free nation by the year 2045.”
Smoking needs to be tackled differently according to the age groups.
Unlike secondary students, most at primary level haven’t started the habit although they’ve probably been exposed to family members who smoke. So, it’s important to make sure that they don’t start when they get older, she says.
“If we get to them before they go to secondary school, they can even be agents of change by reaching out to the smokers.”
Primary pupils see their relatives smoke or use e-cigs, and they think it’s normal. This is a perception NARCC wants to change.
Secondary students know that smoking is bad but they can’t relate the dangers to other harms like drug use.
“They know brands, and where to get cheap illegal cigarettes. If we don’t do something, these students could become chronic smokers addicted to nicotine. That’s why we must also make sure they stay away from e-cigs.”
NARCC conducts the programme for free.
For details, e-mail narcc.um@gmail. com or call 03-79677896.