National Tobacco Control Policies from the Perspectives of Singapore Young Male Adults

ABSTRACT

Between 2016 and 2018, tobacco control legislation has undergone several amendments to further restrict tobacco use in Singapore. This study explored the attitudes toward these policy changes and the perceived effectiveness of legislations from the perspectives of young male adults in Singapore. Twenty-nine semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted among young male adults who have completed their National Service in 2017/18 and self-reported as a smoker at pre-enlistment screening. Young male smoker perspectives on Singapore tobacco policies including taxation, smoke-free environment, point-of-sale display ban on tobacco products, graphic health warnings, and raising the minimum legal age of smoking to 21, were evaluated. Participants held the view that cigarette pricing was a highly effective approach to control their smoking behavior because it has a direct impact on tobacco affordability, and they shared that the least effective approaches were point-of-sale display bans and graphic health warnings. Results demonstrate that participants were well aware of tobacco control policies in Singapore, but they did not always fully accept them or understand the rationale behind them. Tobacco control measures should be implemented along with public education to correct misperceptions and increase public support for tobacco control measures in Singapore.

KEYWORDS:

• Tobacco control policies
• Young male smokers
• Singapore
• Qualitative research

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to express their gratitude to the research team, and specifically Dr Lim Jiawei, Ms Low Qian Yun Fawn, Ms Ong Seeu Kun, Ms Tan Chiew Hoon, and Dr Wong Tze-Jung for their assistance in this project.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a start-up grant from the National University of Singapore (R-608-000-179-133; PI: Lee Jeong Kyu). This research was part of a larger project examining youth and young adult smoking in Singapore.