Health campaign must target specific groups

JAKARTA (JP): Any campaign against heart disease in Indonesia must be designed at specific target groups because of the diversity in the social and cultural mix of the people here.

Dr. Doddy Partomihardjo, a medical advisor of the food and cosmetic giant PT Unilever Indonesia, yesterday said such a campaign would be difficult to carry out in a country with such complexity like Indonesia.

If United States and Finland successfully reduced mortality rates caused by heart disease, Indonesia is still at the stage of assembling data, such as on health statistics, food consumption patterns, the number of people suffering from high blood pressure and cholesterol and the impact of smoking, Doddy said.

The U.S. government in 1960 launched its campaign with the help of non-governmental organizations and twenty years later, mortality rates due to heart disease was slashed by 51 percent.

Finland began their campaigns in 1970, and by 1992, the mortality rate caused by the disease dropped by 50 percent.

Their campaigns were carried out in offices, providing blood pressure check-ups, cholesterol test and information on the danger of consuming saturated fats.

In big Indonesian cities, there is a significant correlation between prosperity and deaths caused by heart diseases.

Although Indonesia's gross national product ranks among the lowest in Southeast Asia, there is still a sizable number of wealthy people in the country in absolute terms.

In statistical terms, some 21 million out of Indonesia's population of 185 million people have per capita income ranging between $1,550 and $13,750, well above the $600 national average.

These people lead a lifestyle liable to heart disease, which include unhealthy eating habits, smoking, overworking, and lack of exercise.

Doddy singled out in particular the high level of cholesterol found among the food items now being consumed by these people.

Much of the saturated fats, which are high in cholesterol, come from cooking oil commonly used by Indonesians. "Research shows that 70.7 percent of cooking oil consumed by Indonesians are made of fat and milk. Only 27 percent of cooking oil in the market can be considered good for the health," he said. (pwn)