Note: World Lung Foundation united with The Union North America. From January 2016, the combined organization is known as “Vital Strategies.”
(Jakarta, Indonesia) – The government of DKI Jakarta today launched Indonesia’s first-ever graphic mass media campaign to warn people about the dangers of smoking. The campaign graphically depicts how smoking damages vital organs of the body and can cause serious health problems, even death, among smokers and their children.
Called “Cigarettes are Eating You Alive,” the campaign was developed by The Government of DKI Jakarta with technical support from World Lung Foundation. ‘Cigarettes Are Eating You Alive’ comprises two 30-second ads airing on national TV and local radio stations in Greater Jakarta for four weeks.
The first ad shows how cigarettes harm a smoker’s internal organs, while the second graphically depicts that children exposed to cigarette smoke suffer more respiratory infections, ear infections, asthma – even sudden infant death syndrome. ‘Cigarettes Are Eating Alive’ was among the concepts rated most effective by Indonesian audiences in a rigorous test of tobacco control messaging conducted by World Lung Foundation in 2008.
The concept was originally developed by the New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene and has been used effectively in China, Mexico, the Philippines, Russia, Ukraine and the United States, among other countries.
Dr. Ing. H. Fauzi Bowo, Governor of Jakarta commented: “The people of Jakarta need to know the deadly truth about tobacco and secondhand smoke. We expect this campaign to communicate that message clearly, which will prompt smokers to try and quit and build support for our other efforts to make Jakarta smoke-free city.”
Tobacco Control Advances in Jakarta
The mass media campaign is the most recent effort from the government of DKI Jakarta to reduce tobacco use in the city. Earlier this year, the city began implementing Governor Regulation No. 88/2010, which bans smoking in indoor public places in order to protect the public from the dangers of secondhand smoke. The No Smoking Areas (KDM) policy prohibits smoking in seven areas: healthcare centers, education institutions, child playgrounds, places of worship, public transport, work places and assigned public places.
These smoke-free measures will also be applied at major international events such as the Southeast Asian Games XXVI. The Regional Environmental Management Agency (BPLHD) of DKI Jakarta is working with SEA organization to ensure that the smoking ban is applied across the venues and other public spaces where the games are being held. The government of DKI Jakarta is also gradually reducing tobacco advertising and promotion.
Sandra Mullin, Senior Vice President, Policy and Communications, World Lung Foundation says, “We are proud to support to the government of DKI Jakarta in the production of this groundbreaking campaign. Too many people suffer from the consequences of cigarette use and campaigns like this take on the myth that cigarettes are fresh, fun and even cool. The government’s continued commitment will also support other measures to reduce tobacco in Jakarta and help reduce the burden of disease to the health system caused by tobacco.”
The Tobacco Epidemic in Indonesia
Smoking kills at least 200,000 people each year in Indonesia. One-third of all Indonesians smoke (34 percent), with 63 percent of men and 5 percent of women using some form of tobacco. Among youth (age 13-15), 81 percent are exposed to secondhand smoke in public places and 65 percent are exposed to secondhand smoke at home.
An important part of reducing deaths from tobacco raising public awareness of the health harms of smoking and secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure, and building support for smoke-free policies. To this end, WLF is working in partnership with the Jakarta government to inform the public about tobacco health harms and to build support for the Governor Regulation No. 88/2010, which bans smoking in all indoor public places.
Research has shown that mass media campaigns are one of the most effective means to prompt people to stop smoking. It is one of the World Health Organization’s M-P-O-W-E-R (W=Warn) strategies to reduce tobacco consumption. HYPERLINK “https://www.who.int/tobacco/mpower/en/index.html”M-P-O-W-E-R strategies are endorsed and promoted by Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use, of which World Lung Foundation is a principal partner.