The Health Ministry has called on the media to restrict the airing and publishing of tobacco product advertisements, saying that the ads could be exposing the country’s young to smoking habits.
Health Minister Nafsiah Mboi also said on Wednesday that the government had issued a stringent regulation that would place a restriction on tobacco product ads in the media, as part of a general campaign to curb smoking addiction in the country.
“Tobacco advertisements, including those in the mass media, are one of the factors that can influence people to smoke. For the sake of the next generation, we urge you to limit it [the ads],” Nafsiah told editors of both print and broadcast media.
Nafsiah said smoking killed more than 190,000 people in 2010 and the government would do more to fight the lethal habit.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono issued Government Regulation (PP) No.109/2012 on tobacco control on Dec. 24, 2012, which placed tighter restrictions on tobacco advertising in the media.
Under the regulation, cigarette makers can still advertise outdoors, but must adhere to strict conditions that limit the size of each display to no more than 72-square-meters.
Other restrictions include a ban against tobacco ads being put alongside main roads.
For the print media, cigarette makers are not allowed to place ads on the front page. On top of a ban on a full-page ads, tobacco companies are also not allowed to display ads next to food and beverage ads.
The government regulation also bans tobacco companies from publishing ads in publications targeted at women and children.
On television, tobacco companies are only able to buy slots between 9.30 p.m. and 5 a.m.
The government regulation also prohibits media coverage on corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities or any event conducted and sponsored by tobacco companies.
“Sponsorship is still allowed but not with media coverage. Even CSR-related news coverage is still the most effective form of advertising for smoking and tobacco products,” explained Budi Sampurna, the health minister’s expert staff for legal issues.
A study conducted by the National Commission for Child Protection (Komnas PA) revealed that 99.7 percent of teenagers had seen at least one tobacco commercial on TV.
The survey also found that 86.7 percent of teenagers had seen at least one outdoor ad for tobacco products while 81 percent had joined activities sponsored by tobacco companies at least once.
The prevalence of smoking among 15 to 19-year-olds was 20.3 percent in 2010, up from 7.1 percent in 1995, data from the Health Ministry shows.
Nafsiah said tobacco advertisements were the primary factor in influencing the young to smoke.
“They are exposed to cigarette ads quite early. The younger the age one starts smoking, the greater the risk of an addiction. Once addicted, it is difficult to quit,” she said.
In 2010, an estimated 190,000 people in the country died from illnesses related to tobacco use, including strokes, trachea cancer, lung diseases and babies with low birth weight.
Tobacco-related deaths accounted for 12.7 percent of total deaths in the same year.
Tobacco Control Support Center (IAKMI) chairman Kartono Mohamad said eliminating tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship could be the most potent way of fighting tobacco addiction.
Kartono said tobacco marketing played a crucial role in the rise of tobacco-related health problems and deaths.
“Ten years after the campaign to restrict tobacco ads was first initiated, countries with restrictions on the media advertising of tobacco products have shown a ninefold decrease in tobacco consumption, far higher than countries that have no such restrictions in place,” said Kartono.
The Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) also lauded the government regulation.
“It represents significant progress toward the reduction in the smoking rate,” said Tulus Abadi of YLKI.
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