Two-thirds of Indonesian men smoke

 

Indonesian men rank as the world's top smokers, with two out of three of them lighting up in a country where cigarettes cost pennies and tobacco advertising is everywhere.
A survey released on Tuesday found that 67 per cent of all males over 15 years old smoke. The sprawling archipelago ranked second only to Russia overall with a rate of 35 per cent compared to 39 per cent, respectively.
"We have failed in protecting our people," said Health Minister Nafsiah Mboi, commenting on the rate of male smokers jumping from 53 per cent since 1995.
"We have been defeated by the tobacco industry ... we don't want this, we cannot accept this because our job is to protect people from cigarettes."
More than 8,000 people participated in the study last year, which is part of a global series of surveys taken in 15 countries with heavy tobacco use and supported by the World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It also found a high rate of Indonesians were subjected to second-hand smoke at work, home and in public places.
Mboi said she was particularly alarmed to learn that nearly 80 per cent of Indonesians are exposed to smoke at home.
"How is the number of parents smoking at home with kids so high? It means that they are damaging their children's lungs, whether intentionally or not," she said. "As the health minister, I am ashamed to let this condition continue."
Indonesia has long been criticised for its lack of tobacco controls. It is one of a remaining handful of countries that has failed to sign the WHO's tobacco treaty. Giant billboards promote cigarettes and commercials run on television and before movies in cinemas.
Local and multinational tobacco companies also routinely sponsor sporting events and concerts – advertising that has long been banned in many countries.