4 Out Of 10 Junior High School And High School Teenagers In Jakarta Are Smokers

Illustration of smokers (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Technical Staff for Health Transformation Communications, Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) RI dr Ngabila Salama said four out of ten teenagers aged SMP and SMA in DKI Jakarta are smokers. "The number of smokers of SMP and SMA age is 36 percent, meaning that out of ten junior high school and high school age teenagers in Jakarta, four of them (are) smokers," said Ngabila, quoted by ANTARA, Monday, October 16. Ngabila who is also the Head of the DKI Jakarta School Surveillance, Epidemiology and Immunization Section (Dinkes) said the results were obtained from a survey conducted on 3,000 children and adolescents in DKI Jakarta. Of the 3,000 samples, he mentioned that the majority of teenage age smokers are dominated by junior high school students aged 12-15 years. In addition, there are also smokers with the youngest age, namely seven years or the age of a grade one elementary school child. "The most common factor is because of curiosity, joining friends and association, as well as emulating the behavior of those closest to them, in this case father or mother," he said. Ngabila said this was exacerbated by the fact that shows every 1 km2 region in DKI Jakarta, there are 12-15 kiosks selling cigarettes in a handsome manner. In addition, he added that children and adolescents also have very easy access to buy cigarettes, namely with a radius of 100 to 200 meters from his school. "The closest access, low prices, friends, and it turns out that every 1 km2 in Jakarta there are 12-15 middle cigarette traders. Such an illustration, cigarette consumption in high society," he said. In addition, Ngabila also mentions someone who has a smoker friend, then has a 3.2 times greater chance to also smoke. Then, one who sees cigarette advertisements has a five times more chance than those who do not see it.

In fact, he said, cigarettes contain about seven thousand harmful substances, including nicotine which results in addiction, tar that triggers cancer in the body, as well as carbon monoxide which causes blood cells to become oxygen-deficient. For this reason, he appealed to teenagers not to start smoking in any type, because cigarettes are harmful to health. "All types of cigarettes are dangerous, both conventional, lentian, electric/vape, and herbal cigarettes. Many say that they are good, but still burned and smoke comes out, they are cigarettes, the same as, creating extraordinary health problems," said Ngabila Salama.