The smoking habit of Indonesians has increased from year to year. In fact, the level has reached an alarming level. This increase occurred because there were still many people who did not understand the health risks of consuming tobacco (smoking). This is a fact that must be seriously realized and brought upon at all levels of society in order for the masses to understand, realize, and have the desire to be able to stop smoking.
According to data from the Ministry of Health, the prevalence of smokers increased by 9.3%, from 27% in 1995 to 36.3% in 2013. That means that 20 years ago one in three Indonesians were smokers, but now, there are 2 smokers in 3 Indonesians. This situation is even more worrying, because the proportion of female smokers also increased from 4.2% in 1995 to 6.7% in 2013. What is even more worrying is that the smoking habit is also increasing among the younger generation. The data show that the prevalence of smoking among adolescents aged 16-19 years has increased from 7.1% in 1995 to 20.5% in 2013. From the data above, it is clear that smoking has a very negative impact on health. Because, smoking is one of the factors that have a big impact on health. Smokers have two to four times the risk of developing heart disease, and a higher risk of developing lung cancer and other diseases.
There are many factors that cause the increase in the number of smokers in Indonesia. dr HM Subuh, General Director of Disease Prevention and Control, Ministry of Health, said there are 3 main reasons why the number of smokers in Indonesia are increasing. The first is a lot of cigarette advertisements, the second is the easiness of buying cigarettes, and the last is the cheap price of cigarettes. Advertisements issued by cigarette companies can be seen everywhere, from television to posters and billboards on the highway. In addition, many tobacco companies are often the main sponsors for music and sporting events. The number of advertisements has made Indonesian’s adolescents want to try cigarettes. Easy access to cigarettes is also the reason for the increasing number of smokers in Indonesia. Since cigarettes are sold so widely, children and teenagers can easily buy them. This is exacerbated by the cheap price of cigarettes which makes it easy for Indonesian teenagers to buy cigarettes.
Based on the various reasons above, it is very clear that the increase in the number of smokers in Indonesia is very dangerous for the future of the nation. This is because smoking has a detrimental effect on health, which has an impact on reducing the quality of children and the new born generation. The quality reduction of this generation has resulted in continuous duping and poverty from generation to generation throughout history, which will get even worse if it is not quickly and seriously addressed.
Author: Atanasius Davin Evan Yesa Pratama
References:
- Sulaiman, Muhammad Reza. (2016, May 31). 3 Penyebab Utama Makin Banyak Perokok di Indonesia: Iklan, Mudah dan Murah. Detik Health. https://health.detik.com/berita-detikhealth/d-3222227/3-penyebab-utama-makin-banyak-perokok-di-indonesia-iklan-mudah-dan-murah
- Rokom. (2016, May 31). HTTS 2016: Suarakan Kebenaran, Jangan Bunuh Dirimu Dengan Candu Rokok. Sehat Negeriku Sehatlah Bangsaku. https://www.kemkes.go.id/article/print/16060300002/htts-2016-suarakan-kebenaran-jangan-bunuh-dirimu-dengan-candu-rokok.html#:~:text=Inilah%20Faktanya%2C%20Jumlah%20Perokok%20di%20Indonesia%20Memprihatinkan&text=Data%20Kemenkes%20menunjukkan%20bahwa%20prevalensi,merokok%20semakin%20muda%20(dini).