Agents of change: Muhammad Fahim (fourth left) receiving the certificate from Prof Dr Zamri (centre). With them are Dr Rahimah (far left), Dr Marhazlinda (second left), Dr Rusdi (sixth left) and members of the winning team.
DESPITE their differences, a group of Universiti Malaya (UM) students proved that good communication is the key to success.
Muhammad Fahim Mahazan, 21, who led a team of six in planning and implementing a public awareness campaign at the varsity recently, said regular discussions helped the group win prizes for the “Overall Best Table Display”, “Best Video” and “Most Number of Booth Visitors”.
“One of our team members is from China, and we are all from different faculties.
“Although we didn’t know each other prior to this, we worked well together because we made it a point to have regular meetups after our classes and to communicate regularly on WhatsApp,” said Muhammad Fahim, who was among some 30 students enrolled in the varsity’s “Introduction to Tobacco Control” elective module.The students organised an exhibition to mark “World No Tobacco Day” as part of the module requirement. Prizes were also awarded for the “Best Bunting”, “Best Pamphlet” and “Best Board Game”.
Held on June 11, the exhibition at UM was co-organised by the varsity’s Dental Faculty, Community Oral Health & Clinical Prevention Department, Centre of Addiction Sciences (UMCAS), and Nicotine Addiction Research and Collaborating Group (NARCC).
Muhammad Fahim said he signed up for the module to learn how to organise an event, which was part of the course component.
“When we started, we only knew the basics of tobacco control and the health implications of smoking.
“Now, we know about policies, and the effects of smoking and vaping not only on smokers but also on those around them,” the group said.
Module coordinator and lecturer Dr Rahimah Abdul Kadir said the 14-week course was among the outcomes of a RM900,000 multi-disciplinary, five-year grant awarded to NARCC to make UM a smoke-free campus.
Research is pointless if it does not impact the community, Dr Rahimah, who is also the UMCAS honorary professor and NARCC adviser, said.
“We are the first public university to make a tobacco control module available to students across all faculties and to link up with the private sector to provide practical, real-world exposure.
“The generational end game (GEG) provision to ban individuals born from 2007 onwards from smoking or purchasing smoking products was dropped from the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2023.
“So, our next generation must continue to become smoking cessation advocates to make sure that Malaysia becomes a smoke-free nation,” she said, adding that the module was designed to teach soft skills such as effective communication and how to organise exhibition.
UMCAS director Assoc Prof Dr Rusdi Abd Rashid said to date, four cohorts have completed the module since its inception in 2022.
Focused on preventing youths from picking up smoking and protecting non-smokers and children from second-hand smoke, the module was designed from a non-clinical perspective, he added.
Describing the exhibition as “very special”, Dental Faculty dean Prof Dr Zamri Radzi highlighted three things dentists fear the most: sugar, which causes diabetes and dental caries; betel nut use, which leads to cancer; and tobacco use, which results in gum problems.
“What’s the point of being young and handsome if you have no teeth?” he said, adding that dental advice sometimes resonates better when delivered by peers rather than dental surgeons.
“In Thailand, tobacco – and ecigarette use particularly – is rampant in primary schools.
“So, obviously, this is not a problem we take lightly,” he said in his closing speech.
Hailing the half-day event as a resounding success, Community Oral Health & Clinical Prevention Department head Dr Marhazlinda Jamaludin said the students were able to attract and reach out to visitors with their creativity and commitment.
She said the non-health faculty students should be proud of their projects, adding that the students comprising those from the engineering, built environment, education, arts and social sciences, and business and economics faculties, must continue to be agents of change beyond the varsity’s halls because “we cannot just rely on healthcare professionals to do the job if tobacco control efforts are to be effective and sustainable”. — By CHRISTINA CHIN
