Coordinating Minister For PMK Is Worried That Cigarettes Attack Children Since They Are In The Womb

Coordinating Minister for PMK Muhadjir Effendy (Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

JAKARTA - The Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (Menko PMK) Muhadjir Effendy is worried that smoking starts attacking children since the prenatal period or when he is in his mother's womb.

"These cigarettes have actually started to attack our efforts to develop Indonesia's human resources since the prenatal period," he said during an online discussion with the theme "The increasing prevalence rate of smoking in the category of children in Indonesia: Price effects and peer effects monitored in Jakarta. Between, Thursday, 27 August.

He said this happened because when the child was still in the womb, his parents were exposed to smoking. Even though the mother does not smoke, it can be exposed to her father who is an active smoker.

"Parents of smokers have a very serious impact on the fetus in a mother's womb," he said.

Therefore, all parties need to be aware of the practice of smoking in the family environment. In general, the cycle of human development and Indonesian culture starts from the prenatal period, the first 1,000 days of life, early childhood and children, adolescents to adulthood.

"Every stage of a child's growth period has obstacles or obstacles, one of which is influenced by smoking," said the former Indonesian Minister of Education and Culture.

He said that at the same time the government also continued to improve human resources, one of which was to reduce the stunting rate to 14 percent by 2024.

This is because stunting is President Jokowi's program, so it needs serious attention. Currently, the stunting rate in the country is still above 27 percent. If the annual birth rate is around 4,800,000 then 27 percent is stunting.

"So if there are 10 babies born, about two to three of them are stunted," he said.

He added that the target of reducing stunting by 14 percent in 2024 is indeed quite high in human and cultural development efforts. However, it must be done, including overcoming barrier factors, one of which is the cigarette problem.