(September 2nd, 2016, Jakarta, Indonesia and New York, USA) – Global public health experts Vital Strategies congratulates the Government of Indonesia on a new campaign that graphically highlights the many harmful illnesses caused by tobacco use, including lung cancer, heart disease, stroke and oral cancers. The campaign, ‘Cigarettes Are Damaging Your Body (Rokok Merusak Tubuhmu)’, was launched at an event in Jakarta today by Ir. Doddy Izwardy, MA, Director of Nutrition at the Directorate General of Public Health, Ministry of Health, Government of Indonesia.
Vital Strategies collaborated with Ministry of Health on the design and implementation of the campaign, which will be broadcast on national television stations including Trans TV, Trans 7, MNC TV, RTV, TVone, RCTI, and Global TV for six weeks. The campaign will also be promoted and shared on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and at www.suaratanparokok.co.id – which has been updated to host information and links to smoking cessation resources in Indonesia, using #SuaraTanpaRokok (“Smoke-free voices”).
Commenting at today’s launch event, Izwardy said: “This campaign shows that cigarettes are harmful for your health, and evidence indicates that e-cigarettes can also cause harm. Let’s remember that nicotine is an addictive drug, whether it’s in a cigarette or e-cigarette. By clearly showing the harms of tobacco smoke, this media campaign also supports our smoke free policies and we urge Indonesia’s smokers to abide by those policies.”
José Luis Castro, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vital Strategies, said: “We congratulate Indonesia’s government on this powerful new tobacco control campaign and are delighted to have collaborated with Ministry of Health. It reinforces the graphic warnings on tobacco packs, delivering real synergies and saving lives. Increasing the size of those warning images – like India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Myanmar – would deliver an even greater impact. Better informed citizens are more likely to make healthier choices – like quitting smoking – that benefit their lives and those of their loved ones.”
A significant body of scientific evidence finds that there is no safe level of tobacco use, but tobacco users often aren’t aware of or underestimate the actual harms of smoking and their resulting risk of preventable disease and premature death. Showing real images of tobacco’s harms helps to deter youth from initiating smoking and encourage smokers to quit.
The 30-second Public Service Announcement (PSA) is designed to turn tobacco users’ thoughts about quitting into active quit attempts by showing the real health harms of tobacco use. “Cigarettes are damaging your body” graphically shows that tobacco causes damage to nearly every vital organ and tissue of the body. It opens with the silhouette of a man smoking a cigarette and goes on to show images of a real human heart beating progressively faster, a healthy lung turning black, a cancerous mouth, rotting teeth, a cancerous throat, and clogged arteries that can cause stroke. The PSA also features the graphic warnings currently featured on 40 percent of tobacco packs in Indonesia and ends with the message “Respect your body – stop smoking now!”
This campaign builds upon a national tobacco control campaign launched earlier this year, which focused on the economic harms of tobacco.
“Indonesia’s economy will lose as much as US$4.5 trillion by 2030 if the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like heart disease and cancers is not reduced,” Castro added, “and as this campaign shows, tobacco use is the leading risk factor for such diseases. In addition to health communication campaigns that will help to change attitudes, fully comprehensive smoke-free laws and higher, simplified tobacco taxes would further prompt smokers to quit and deter smoking initiation. There is a real opportunity for Indonesia to increase taxes to total to more than 75 percent of the retail price, as recommended by WHO. And a further opportunity to earmark some of the monies raised to fund healthcare and social programs. We commend these policies to Indonesia’s Government, to facilitate Indonesia’s progress towards its goals under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”
Notes to Editors
About the campaign
“Cigarettes are damaging your body” is based on original concept developed by New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, extensively pre-tested, and used effectively in Vietnam, Pakistan, Mexico, and Russia, among others. The PSA and stills and transcripts from the PSA are available upon request.
Tobacco’s deadly cost to Indonesia
According to The Tobacco Atlas, more than 2,677,000 children and 53,767,000 adults use tobacco in Indonesia (57.1 percent of men, 3.6 percent of women, 41 percent of boys and 3.5 percent of girls). The proportion of men, boys and girls who use tobacco is higher in Indonesia than in other middle income countries. Tobacco kills 217,400 Indonesians every year and in 2010, it was the cause of 19.8 percent of deaths among adult men and 8.1 percent of deaths among adult women – higher than the average in other middle income countries. Studies indicate that Indonesian males are initiating tobacco use at younger and younger ages – many as early as twelve years old. Tobacco use is the leading risk factor for non-communicable diseases, which could cost Indonesia’s economy as much as US$4.5 trillion from 2012 to 2030, according to the World Economic Forum.
About Vital Strategies
Vital Strategies envisions a world where every person is protected by a strong public health system. Our team combines evidence-based strategies with innovation to help develop sound public health policies, manage programs efficiently, strengthen data systems, conduct research, and design strategic communication campaigns for policy and behavior change. Vital Strategies was formed when The Union North America and World Lung Foundation joined forces. It is an affiliate of The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union).
To find out more, please visit vitalstrategies.org or Twitter @VitalStrat
For further information or to arrange an interview with a Vital Strategies public health and tobacco control expert, please contact Tracey Johnston, Vital Strategies, at +44.7889.081.170 or tjohnston@vitalstrategies.org