After spending half month stay at Java, Yogyakarta, keeping explore and research of the tobacco industry. I can feel that the tobacco industry has already become an integral part of Indonesia’s culture. It can be seen on the advertising billboard full of streets and ubiquitous smokers. But the biggest problem of Java is the environmental impacts, such as second-hand smoke and advertising impact.

Through researching the smoke-free public area Malioboro street, where is the centre of Java and the cultural centre of Java. I met Bowo and interviewed him. He is a 32 year old man who was born at Jogja. He start to smoke when he is 11 year old. I heard he began to smoke in such a young age was shocked even I already known there are a lots of youth smoker in Indonesia from the research data before the trip to Yogyakarta, which is about one million children under the age of 16 in Indonesia smoke, and one-third of Indonesian children try to smoke before the age of 10(Meyersohn & Harris 2011). I asked him, ‘why you start smoking, what effect you to start smoking’. Bowo said that he mother and father all smoking, but this is not the main reason he starts to smoke. What affects him to smoking is his friends ask him to taste the cigarettes. And told him smoking would make him look more refreshing as a man. I asked him whether he knows smoking might affect the lung and cause other health problems. And why he don’t try to give-up the behavior of smoking. He said ‘he know smoking is not good, but he can’t quit it as they will sit and gathering with their neighbors when they get off the work everyday’. According to the data from World Health Organization(2018), there are 14.7% people death because smoking. But there are only 9.5% daily smokers quit tobacco use every year. It can be seen, the behavior change as quit smoking are not really easy for Indonesian. Furthermore, I continue to chat with him about whether his children and wife smoking. He said he have 2 child. A ten year old daughter and a five year old son. Neither wife or children are not smoking. But his daughter have poor resistance that always cough because of bronchitis. From the CDC(2018), second hand smoke is no less harmful than first hand smoke. It also can cause lots of problem such as middle ear disease coronary heart disease and respiratory symptoms and impaired lung function etc.

CDC 2018, Health effects of secondhand smoke, smoking & tobacco use, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, viewed 19 December 2019, <https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/secondhand_smoke/health_effects/index.htm&gt;.

In conclusion, the problem of smoking in a large proportion of Indonesians is a difficult problem to completely solve in Yogyakarta. Because there are many different environmental factors in Indonesia. Not only cause by the streets advertisements,which is use to attract Indonesians to smoke, but Indonesian also smoke when they are have free time, and the influence of family smoking.

Reference lists:
Meyersohn, J. Harris, D. 2011, From age 2 to 7: why are children smoking in Indonesia?, ABC News, viewed 25 November, <https://abcnews.go.com/Health/age-children-smoking-indonesia/story?id=14464140&gt;.

World Health Organization 2018, Heart disease and stroke are the commonest ways by which tobacco kills people, Factsheet, Indonesia, viewed 19 December 2019, <https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/272673/wntd_2018_indonesia_fs.pdf?sequence=1&gt;.

CDC 2018, Health effects of secondhand smoke, smoking & tobacco use, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, viewed 19 December 2019, <https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/secondhand_smoke/health_effects/index.htm&gt;.

Indonesia has historically been a country that has been using narcotic analgesics extensively. Before the introduction of tobacco and opium from Europe in 1600, the most common narcotics used by Indonesians were betel nuts. Because tobacco began to be widely planted by Indonesians. By the end of the 18th century, tobacco had been widely used by Indonesians (Reid 1985). Since then, tobacco plants have brought huge benefits to Indonesia’s local economy, development and agriculture(Batoro& Ekowati 2017).But it also caused Indonesians to be exposed to tobacco from an early age. It can be seen from the survey data that Indonesians smoke a large part of the world where is the top fifth tobacco consuming countries in the world(WHO 2019), and about 200,000 Indonesians die each year from diseases related to smoking(Tuszynski 2010).

In Indonesia, there are no restrictions for tobacco company. Those companies can propagate their product via advertising on television and billboard. Tobacco company in order to achieve their propaganda purpose even sponsors scholarship for the young people, sponsor the sporting and music events(Sukamdi & Wattie 2013). Such as the singer Kelly Clarkson was being sponsored by tobacco company PT Djarum under the name of its cigarette brand LA lights, holding the music events in Jakarta, Indonesia(Washington 2010).

Since buying and smoking is legal for anyone of any age in Indonesia. So, it led to smoking at every age, including children. According to statistics, about one million children under the age of 16 in Indonesia smoke, and one third of Indonesian children try to smoke before the age of 10(Meyersohn & Harris 2011).Therefore, the number of young smoker is increasing every year. The youngest smoker only two year old, who smokes 40 cigarettes per day(Dave 2018).

However, the habit of smoking might affect the health with the smoker. According to the country’s backwardness in signing and ratifying the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, Indonesia lacks tobacco control(Nawi Ng, Weinehall& Öhman 2006). In order to reduce the number of young smokers in Indonesia. Indonesia government has adopted many policies. For example smoking is banning in public area including restaurant, hospital and school etc since 2005 in the capital city Jakarta, which the city location in west Java(The Jakarta post 2015). If anyone violates the ban will be subject to heavy fines and the need to be in prison. But after the ban smoking policies has been implementing, smoking are continued in 70% of public places(The Jakarta post 2015).

References list:

Batoro, J. Ekowati, G. 2017, ‘An Enobotanical Tobacco(Nicotiana tabacum L.) in Indonesia’, Advances in life sciences, scientific & academic publishing, Rosemead, vol. 7, no. 2, pp.26-29.

Dava, D. 2018, Two-year-old boy from Indonesia smokes 40 cigarettes a day, One Pattaya International and local news, viewed 25 November 2019, <https://www.pattayaone.news/two-year-old-boy-from-indonesia-smokes-40-cigarettes-a-day/>.

Meyersohn, J. Harris, D. 2011, From age 2 to 7: why are children smoking in Indonesia?, ABC News, viewed 25 November, <https://abcnews.go.com/Health/age-children-smoking-indonesia/story?id=14464140>.

Nawi Ng, L. Weinehall, A. Öhman. 2006, ‘If I don’t smoke, I’m not a real man’—Indonesian teenage boys’ views about smoking, Health Education Research, vol. 22, no. 6, pp 794–804, viewed 22 November 2019, <https://academic.oup.com/her/article/22/6/794/640787>.

Reid, A. 1985, ‘From betel-chewing to tobacco-smoking in Indonesia’, The journal of asian studies, vol.44, p.537.

Sukamdi. Wattie, M. A. 2013, Tobacco use and exposure among children in migrant and non-migrant households in Java, Indonesia, Asian pac migr J. author manuscript, PMC funders group, Europe, vol. 22(3), pp.447-464.

The Jakarta post 2015,10 years after ban, smoking continues in 70% of public places, The Jakarta post, Jakarta, viewed 26 November 2019, <https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thejakartapost.com/amp/news/2015/09/29/10-years-after-ban-smoking-continues-70-public-places.html>.

Tuszynski, T. 2010, Smoking children on rise in Indonesia: A glaring example of why businesses need to be regulated, viewed 26 November 2019,<http://www.examiner.com/article/smoking-children-on-rise-indonesia-a-glaring-example-of-why-businesses-need-to-be-regulated> .

Washington, D. C. 2010, Fan urge Kelly Clarkson to drop tobacco sponsorship, International health group, Campaign for tobacco-free kids, viewed 23 November 2019, <https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/press-releases/id_1300>.

World Health Organization(WHO) 2019, Report on Global tobacco epidemic, WHO, viewed 23 November 2019,<https://www.who.int/tobacco/global_report/en// >.

‘Sehat Ka Batua’ is an India health purse with the simple breast self-test steps inside to remind women to keep their breast health. ‘Sehat Ka Batua’ has been created because women in rural India like to put ‘batua’-traditional Indian wallets in their blouses to protect their money(Campaigns of the world 2018). This creative idea created by Grey India Mumbai and support by a car manufacturing company in India called Mahindra rise. This initiative is a unique Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) initiative campaign for self-diagnosis of breast cancer(Spikes Asia 2019), which mean non- profit campaign. The health purse initiative campaign is an opportunity for India women to protect their breast health.

The ‘Sehat Ka Batua’ are regularly distribute during health awareness drives in Madkepada, Belwadi, kinipada, etc. This initiative increased local women’s perception of breast cancer prevention. Besides, according to the campaign of the world (2018), this initiative will be scaled up to reach more and more women in the media-dark parts of the country to reduce the incidence of breast cancer.

To some extent, this initiative is very successful because it does benefit many women in India. Effectively improve the prevention of breast cancer (Mahindra Rise 2018). And the campaign was also shortlisted at Cannes Lion for the change 2018 as a fact (Butteriss & Bradley 2019). But, under the local situation in India, most of the citizen in India have religion. According to the 2011 census, the largest part of religion are Hinduism and Islam, which occupy 79.80% and 14.23%, respectively. As Gold et al.(2019) and Schimmel et al.(2019), These two religions are a religion that promotes conservatism. So, for conservative women, it’s an unethical act to print a naked pattern on the wallet.

However, ‘Sehat Ka Batua’ health purse is still a great study case that has inspired us to provide creative ideas. Then, What I learnt from this case? In order to convey information to people’s minds, print the preventive measures on a wallet or other items and distribute to the people is a unique idea that can be a universal application. Besides, If we were designing a tobacco control campaign for Central Java via print the picture with the harmful influence of smoking such as black lung on the wallet or garment then distribute to the smoker as a non-profit project. It might lead to the number of smoker decrease. 

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References list: 

Butteriss, C., Bradley, J. 2019, The world’s best public health social media campaigns, Bang the table, viewed 19 November 2019, <https://www.bangthetable.com/blog/public-health-social-media-campaigns/&gt;.

Campaigns of the world 2018, The health purse(Sehat Ka Batua) – A unique CSR initiative for self- diagnosis of breast cancer, Campaigns of the world, viewed 20 November 2o19,<https://campaignsoftheworld.com/print/the-health-purse-sehat-ka-batua/&gt;.

Gold, G. A, Narayanan, V., Doniger, W., Basham, L. A., Smith, K. B. & Dimock, C. E. 2019,  Hinduism religion, Encyclopaedia britannica, viewed 20 November 2019, <https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hinduism/Karma-samsara-and-moksha&gt;. 

Spikes Asia 2019, Sehat Ka Batua – the Health purse, Ascential event, Europe, viewed 19 November 2019, <https://www2.spikes.asia/winners/2018/promo/entry.cfm?entryid=4845&award=101&order=6&direction=1&gt;.

Schimmel, A., Rahman, F., Mahdi, S. M. 2019,  ’Al-Islām’, Islam religion, Encyclopaedia britannica, viewed 20 November 2o19, <https://www.britannica.com/topic/Islam&gt;.

Mahindra Rise 2018, Mahindra’s Sehat Ka Batua | A Unique CSR Initiative for Self-Diagnosis of Breast Cancer in India, Video, YouTube, viewed 20 November 2019, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zu_55piVrJU&gt;.