ID :
243622
Tue, 06/12/2012 - 04:13
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/243622
The shortlink copeid
Many Indonesians Still Doubt Smoking Bad For Health
By Ahmad Fuad Yahya
JAKARTA, June 12 (Bernama) -- Authorities in Indonesia are facing a problem
in implementing anti-smoking programmes, partly because many people still refuse
to believe that smoking is bad for health.
Health Ministry director-general for environmental health and disease
control, Tjandra Yoga Aditama, said smoking had even become a culture for some
of the people and the habit had nothing to do with their economic or working
conditions.
He said many low-income people smoked and the amount of money they spent on
cigarettes exceeded the US$31,517.90 (Rp100,000) in monthly aid they received
from the government.
"There are still people out there who doubt the scientific evidence
regarding the negative impacts of smoking for health, saying 'a chain smoker in
my village is still alive at 97 years of age'," he was quoted by English daily
Jakarta Globe as saying Monday.
Tjandra said that to overcome the problem, anti-smoking programmes should be
conducted based on strong scientific evidence on the impact of smoking on
health, economic and social conditions.
The report quoted a University of Indonesia Demographic Institute study in
2009 which showed that 57 per cent of the poorest households in Indonesia spent
part of their income on cigarettes.
-- BERNAMA