Developing a smoke free household initiative: an Indonesian case study

Abstract

Little research has focused on women's exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) in LMICs, local perceptions of SHS risk to women and children, and women's attempts to limit exposure to tobacco smoke in their households. This paper describes a community based survey in Indonesia that investigated these issues as one step in a movement to initiate community wide household smoking bans. The survey found high levels of exposure to SHS, high levels of awareness among both women and men that SHS placed women and children at risk for illness, a very low percentage of households having indoor smoking rules, great interest on the part of women to participate in a communitywide ban, and a promising level of male smoker agreement to comply with such a ban. Women expressed a low sense of self efficacy in individually getting their husbands to quit smoking in their homes, but a strong sense of collective efficacy that husbands might agree to a well-publicized and agreed-upon community household smoking ban. Men and women expressed concern about the social risk of asking guests not to smoke in their homes without a communitywide ban and visible displays communicating their participation in this movement. The smoke free initiative described requires the participation of doctors in community education programs, and is attempting to introduce household smoking bans as a way of turning tobacco control into a family health and not just a smokers' health issue.

Women and tobacco: a call for including gender in tobacco control research, policy and practice

“…Studies in HICs have shown how unequal power relationships and restricted living circumstances can limit women's ability to reduce exposure to SHS for themselves and their children, arising from smoking by others (usually men) in the home and workplace 65–70. In LMICs, where women's social, political and economic power is often limited, women have even less ability to protect themselves and their children from exposure to SHS from male smokers 71 72…”

A Cross Sectional Study of Kretek Smoking in Indonesia as a Major Risk to Public Health

“…Nonetheless, while active kretek smoking tends to be limited to men, children and women are likely to be exposed to secondhand smoke and may affect their health including the health of the unborn fetuses for pregnant women (WHO South East Asia Regional Office, 2009;WHO, 2010a). Although Kaufman et al (2014) and Nichter et al (2010) found a shift towards disapproval of smoking in public places in their study in Bogor and Palembang cities, Indonesia, they also found that people were hesitant to enforce the smoke-free policies when it came to asking men of status and/or community leaders to stop smoking.…”

Interventions integrating non-communicable disease prevention and reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health: A systematic review

“…Therefore, the child mortality rate would theoretically improve by integrating respiratory disease care into the regular health care for pediatric patients. Studies on preventing passive smoking among women have been conducted in a resource-limited setting, but the intervention was not linked with RMNCH care (36,37). Thus, further research is required to examine the effectiveness of integrating respiratory disease and RMNCH care on child health indicators.…”