24,290 houses registered as Homes Free of Tobacco Smoke so far - Rina

She said the smoke-free home programme aimed to address the problem of exposure of secondhand smoke caused by parents who smoke, would be expanded with the cooperation of the related non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

Plans under the programme include looking into several aspects of the home environment and encouraging non-smoking practices in homes as these are ways towards creating smoke-free homes, she added.

She said this in the Dewan Rakyat today in response to a question from Fuziah Salleh (PH-Kuantan) who wanted to know the status of the ministry’s collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH) in tacking health problems due to secondhand smoke caused by parents who smoke.

KPWKM is a permanent member of the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) Steering Committee to discuss strategies and policies under the first National Strategic Plan on Tobacco Control 2015-2020.

The committee monitors and improves the implementation of tobacco control outlined by WHO FCTC and the implementation of control programmes outlined under the National Strategic Plan for Tobacco Control.

Apart from interventions to create smoke-free homes, Rina said KPWKM through the National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN) in collaboraton with MOH, developed the Adolescents with Smoking Problems Counselling Guideline, which has been adopted by LPPKN’s Cafe @TEEN facilities.

She said the guideline was aimed to encourage teenagers to adopt a healthy lifestyle, keep them smoke-free and make them as change agents to get their parents to kick their smoking habit.

"LPPKN has 18 CafeTEEN centres catering for those between 13 to 24 years old, which provide quit smoking programmes and clinics to promote healthy lifestyle among teenagers,” she added.