TRANSLATION OF SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE INTO TOBACCO CONTROL POLICY IN MALAYSIA: A NARRATIVE REVIEW

Received 2020-06-14; Accepted 2021-09-17; Published 2021-10-27

Abstract

With the allocation in funding for research, there has been growing interest in studying evidence-based policy formulation and decision-making to account for the funding allocation. By employing a narrative review, this paper focuses on the successes, failures, and challenges in the adoption of the MPOWER strategies in implementing the Tobacco Control Policy in Malaysia. The main objective of this paper is to narrate on the translations of research evidence in the design and implementation of the Tobacco Control Policy in Malaysia. Comparisons are made with developed and developing countries. Literature on tobacco control acts and policies were retrieved from online databases using keywords such as “smoking, tobacco, cigarette, and policy control”. Malaysia has adopted both local and global research evidence in implementing the Tobacco Control Policy and has seen steady progress in reduced prevalence of smoking through the years. Nevertheless, some challenges, including shortage of manpower for the enforcement and innovation of tobacco products, prevail, and more efforts are warranted.