Our research also found some rational smokers who decided to quit or reduce their smoking, hence, showing the cigarette excise increase will achieve its goals to reduce stuntingDepok, West Java (ANTARA) - Research conducted by the Faculty of Economics and Business of the University of Indonesia (FEB UI) has indicated that increasing cigarette excise can help address stunting in Indonesia.
According to faculty dean Teguh Dartanto, besides drawing popular support on social media, the research has also been implemented as a government policy.
"As researchers, we are proud that our research has been implemented as policy and accommodated by society. FEB UI economists have been among the first to explore (the causality between cigarettes and stunting) as so far, the cigarette issue has been researched only with the health issue approach," Dartanto informed here on Tuesday.
The faculty’s research found that children of parents who smoke can experience stunted growth because their parents tend to prioritize the purchase of cigarettes rather than foods or other products that make their family healthier, he explained.
Researchers also found some cases where smokers used social assistance benefits provided by the government to buy cigarettes or decided to reduce family consumption to continue buying cigarettes, he added.
"Our research utilized scores of years of data of more than seven thousand parents and children obtained from the 2018 Indonesian Family Life Survey and on-site research in Demak, Central Java. Our research has concluded that smoking parents are inclined to have stunted children," Dartanto expounded.
The research also found that smokers also potentially turn pregnant mothers into passive smokers, he noted.
"I am concerned that during my on-site research in Demak, I found children suffering stunted growth because of the irrational choice of their selfish parents (who smoke). Why some parents can be such irrational people? It is because cigarettes consist of addictive substances," the faculty dean said.
Dartanto expressed the hope that residents would understand the urgent need for increasing the excise on cigarettes to dissuade people from buying them and push them to use their money for productive purposes.
He also urged residents to be mindful of their children's nutrition and education needs and not use the government's cash benefit to buy cigarettes.
"Rather than having your money 'burned' for the expensive cigarette, it is better to stop smoking at all. Our research also found some rational smokers who decided to quit or reduce their smoking, hence, showing the cigarette excise increase will achieve its goals to reduce stunting," Dartanto informed.
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Translator: Feru Lantara, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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