Celebrities told to support antitobacco drive<\/p>\n
Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The latest survey on the smoking habits of high-school
\nstudents should be a matter of concern to all: 42 percent of
\n2,047 students surveyed in Jakarta admitted to being active
\nsmokers, 43.9 percent said they had tried smoking and 13.6
\npercent said they had never tried it but would do so next year.<\/p>\n
Regardless of the validity of the survey, smoking has long
\nbeen a fundamental part of teenagers' lives here. The World
\nHealth Organization (WHO) has reported that the number of smokers
\nis increasing, especially among young people in developing
\ncountries.<\/p>\n
To some extent, films and fashion, as the two areas of life of
\ngreatest interest to most teenagers around the globe, are
\nbelieved to have fostered smoking as a lifestyle activity aspired
\nto by juveniles.<\/p>\n
\"In films and fashion, smoking is perceived as a desirable
\nlifestyle activity more than ever, which makes it attractive to
\nteenagers,\" Minister of Health Achmad Sujudi told a media
\nconference on an antitobacco campaign here on Monday.<\/p>\n
On the upcoming No Tobacco Day on May 31, Indonesia has chosen
\nFree Tobacco from Film and Fashion as a theme, which is expected
\nto support the global theme Tobacco-Free Film and Tobacco-Free
\nFashion, Action!.<\/p>\n
Chief representative of the WHO in Indonesia George Peterson
\nsaid the UN body had urged the film and fashion industries to
\nstop being vehicles of death and disease.<\/p>\n
\"Through the selection of this theme, the WHO is calling on
\nthe entertainment and fashion industries to stop promoting a
\ndeadly product and to recognize their social responsibility,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Film and fashion stars are modern heroes, he said, and the way
\nthey spoke, ate and drank greatly influenced public behavior and
\npreferences.<\/p>\n
Another survey conducted by pulmonologist from Persahabatan
\nHospital, East Jakarta, Tjandra Yoga Aditama, showed that of 126
\nIndonesian celebrities, 38 percent of the men surveyed were
\nactive smokers, while the percentage for women reached 62
\npercent.<\/p>\n
Some 100 of the celebrities contacted were TV series or film
\nstars, while the rest were models, singers or TV presenters.<\/p>\n
\"The number of smoking women celebrities is very high when
\ncompared with the percentages in the family health survey carried
\nout by the Ministry of Health,\" said Tjandra.<\/p>\n
The latest family health survey, carried out every five years
\nin several provinces in the country, with hundreds of thousands
\nof respondents, revealed that only 4.83 percent of women were
\nsmokers. This means the proportion of celebrity women smokers is
\nabout 13 times higher than that of ordinary women.<\/p>\n
Last week, 192 member countries of WHO adopted the Framework
\nConvention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which aims to secure
\nagreement on restrictions on tobacco advertising, sponsorship and
\npromotion.<\/p>\n
Indonesia was among the signatories. However, the issue might
\npose a dilemma here as the tobacco industry is still one of the
\nlargest national taxpayers, and also employs tens of thousands of
\nIndonesian citizens.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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