Tobacco Hazard Reduction Scheme to Lower Health Burden

Quit smoking is not easy. Not only requires a strong will and determination to be able to stop this risky habit, smokers also need support from various parties, including the government through targeted policies. Well, what about using alternative tobacco products?

According to World Population Review data, Indonesia is one of the countries with the highest number of smokers in the world. This is certainly not an achievement to be proud of.

Tobacco Hazard Reduction Scheme to Lower Health Burden

Various efforts have been made by the Indonesian government to reduce the prevalence of smoking, such as the smoking cessation service program from the Ministry of Health. This service provides guidance for smokers who want to quit smoking through monitoring gradually every week.

However, considering the high number of adult smokers in Indonesia, it is necessary to have alternative solutions that can support the current and ongoing efforts of the government to address the problem of smoking prevalence in Indonesia.

One of the new strategies that can be considered is the adoption of the concept of reducing the harm of tobacco through the use of alternative tobacco products for smokers who have not been able to stop smoking completely.

Policies Regarding the Use of Alternative Tobacco Products

The adoption of the concept of reducing the harm of tobacco to tackle the problem of smoking prevalence is not something new. Several countries have put this strategy into various progressive policies. One of them is English.

Since 2016, the UK has looked at the use of alternative tobacco products, such as heated tobacco products, e-cigarettes, snus, nicotine patches or nicotine gums as better alternatives to help smokers struggling to quit smoking reduce their risk. may arise from smoking habits.

Through various policies and regulations, the UK plans to create a smoke-free country by 2030.

Types of Alternative Tobacco Products

Of the many alternative tobacco products available, e-cigarettes or vapes are the easiest to find.

A report published by Public Health England(PHE) in 2020 states that around 27% of smokers in the UK use vaping as an attempt to quit smoking.

"In 2017, more than 50,000 smokers quit smoking with vaping products," the report reads.

Exploring the Health Theory of Alternative Tobacco Products

As is known, smoking is a behavior that is at risk of causing a number of health problems. This risk is triggered by the combustion process that produces smoke containing TAR and thousands of harmful compounds.

Meanwhile, alternative tobacco products, such as vaping and heated tobacco products, are considered to be of lower risk because they do not go through the combustion process. So, what does research say about the risk profile of these alternative products?

Some research shows that alternative tobacco products have a lower chance of increasing the risk of various diseases, such as cancer, including oral cancer and lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, and lung disease when compared to cigarettes.

Consumption of alternative tobacco products is also seen to help smokers to quit smoking. However, on the other hand, alternative tobacco products are also not free from health risks. This is because alternative tobacco products still contain nicotine which can cause addiction.

Seeing the potential for reducing tobacco harm in alternative tobacco products according to various studies, the adoption of policies similar to the UK regarding alternative tobacco products is certainly interesting to consider in order to overcome the problem of smoking prevalence in Indonesia. Especially considering the number of smokers in Indonesia, which does not change much every year.

If you are an active smoker and have the desire to quit smoking, you can contact the smoking cessation service from the Ministry of Health, try to reduce the number of cigarettes slowly, or switch to using alternative tobacco products. Of course, by considering the risks.

If necessary, consult a doctor to find out which smoking cessation solution you can choose.

Label : Health cat_Health

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