Fear of lung cancer doesn't stop die-hards from smoking

Dewi Santoso, Jakarta

The fear of lung cancer does not seem to be enough to prevent some people from smoking, particularly young people, many of whom argue that refraining from smoking does not necessarily mean they are not going to develop the disease.

Steven, a 19-year-old college student, for example, told The Jakarta Post last week that he would continue smoking despite the possibility of developing lung cancer.

"My father has been smoking all his life and he looks pretty good to me for a 55-year-old man," he said, laughing.

Steven himself began smoking when he was 13.

Asked whether his parents said anything to him about his smoking, he answered: "They did at first, but I just ignored them. Anyway, they couldn't do much as my dad is also a smoker."

Steven, who admitted smoking one pack of 20 per day and spending Rp 200,000 (US$22) per month on his habit, said that his friends did not mind his smoking either as "they all smoke."

Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) reveals that in 2002 Indonesia came fifth in the world in the smoking stakes, with 183 billion cigarettes going up in smoke annually. In first place was China (1.7 trillion cigarettes), followed by the United States (464 billion cigarettes), Russia (375 billion cigarettes), and Japan (300 billion cigarettes).

Assuming that one cigarette costs around 6 U.S. cents, Indonesian people spent more than $6.5 billion on tobacco alone in 2002. And the level of cigarette consumption is increasing every year.

Steven's friend, Yanti, however, admitted that some of her friends who do not smoke did complain about her smoking.

"Sometimes they beg me to stop smoking, which I do whenever I'm with them. But when I'm not with them, I smoke," she said, adding the she began to smoke when she was 15.

Although she did not know that passive smokers risk developing lung cancer just as much as active smokers, she did know that smoking was injurious to her health.

"But I can't do anything as I'm addicted to it," said Yanti, who admitted that her parents did not know she smoked.

"They'll freak when they find out that I smoke."

The comments of Steven and Yanti demonstrate just how complacent people here are -- they keep smoking even though they know that it will damage their health.

Data from the Ministry of Health shows that more than 400,000 people died in 2001 due to smoking-related diseases, including lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and stroke.

According to a study conducted by pulmonologist Anwar Jusuf, around 200 people receive treatment for lung cancer in the Persahabatan Hospital each year. He estimates that around 90 percent of these cases were caused by smoking.

To reduce the number of smokers, the government has banned cigarette advertisements from being aired on TV before 9 p.m.

Yet, Anwar, who is also a professor at the University Indonesia, said that the best policy would be to organize a nationwide campaign against tobacco.

However, any antitobacco campaign will run up against a very large hurdle -- money -- as cigarette taxes were a major source of finance for the Ministry of Health's budget last year, contributing more than Rp 23 trillion.

Nonetheless, the government has made some effort to warn the public of the health hazards of cigarettes by publishing a booklet on the dangers of smoking to mark "No Tobacco Day", which falls on May 31.

The book was published by the Ministry of Health in cooperation with WHO. It comprises facts on tobacco consumption around the world, including Indonesia.

Data on smokers aged 15 and above in Indonesia

1995 (in million) 2001 (in million) 2003 (in million)

Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total

3.2 .102 6.0 4.3 .091 7.0 4.3 .119 7.0

Source: Central Statistics Agency