By: Radian Ilmaskal

Indonesia only trails China and India in total smokers, killing an estimated 225,000 people annually. While Indonesia has not ratified the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control through the Convention on Tobacco Control, the Indonesian government has made its own regulations, including Smoking Free Areas. In order to understand acceptance and compliance with Smoke Free Areas (SFAs), I applied for and was awarded a $5,000 minigrant from CDC/TEPHINET to study SFAs in Padang Panjang. 

Padang Panjang, a city in West Sumatera Province that sits on a plateau at 550-900 meters above sea level with air temperature 21.80C-26.10C. Anecdotally, smoking among this population is used to keep people warm. Padang Panjang has been implementing the regional SFA regulation since 2009. Based on an interview with Hariyanto, chairman of an NGO called Community of Healthy City, from 2009 to 2013 smoking is rare, but does occasionally occur in SFAs. Through field work, I’ll interview business owners, bystanders, and smokers in and around SFAs to understand compliance with voluntary enforcement by community members and acceptance by smokers. 

The information from my study can be used to improve the application of the SFA policy to reduce the number of active smokers, to protect passive smokers, and to replicate findings in other districts.