Indonesia Ranked as World's Top E-Cigarette Consumer

According to Validnews, a news organization in Indonesia, Agus Dwi Susanto, the chairman of the Indonesian Association of Respiratory Disease Experts (PDPI), has stated that Indonesia is now the largest consumer of e-cigarettes in the world.

The statement refers to the results of the Statista Consumer Insights survey conducted from January to March 2023. As many as 25% of Indonesian respondents answered that they have used e-cigarettes at least once. This proportion is higher than that of Switzerland (16%), the United States (15%), and the United Kingdom (13%).

Angus DeVeyng, during an online media briefing held on January 9th, stated, "This is targeted towards adolescents."

Subsequently, he cited a study conducted by Friendship Hospital in 2021, revealing a societal shift from e-cigarettes to traditional cigarettes. A staggering 76.7% of respondents believe that e-cigarettes have lower nicotine content.

They also believe that e-cigarettes can be used as a nicotine replacement therapy. However, in reality, e-cigarettes do not meet the requirements for smoking cessation treatment. This is because they fail to meet eight fundamental principles.

Firstly, individuals who participate in NRT (Nicotine Replacement Therapy) must cease smoking. However, in Indonesia, the use of e-cigarettes actually encourages a significant number of dual users, who are both e-cigarette consumers and traditional smokers.

Research data from Dr. Hamka, a professor at Uhamka University in Indonesia, reveals this point. Subsequently, research records from the University of Indonesia (UI) indicate that 61.5% of students are dual users.

Furthermore, individuals undergoing NRT treatment must be supervised by healthcare professionals. However, in Indonesia, the use of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation is carried out without any supervision.

Third, people receiving NRT treatment need to gradually reduce their nicotine dosage until completely quitting nicotine products. However, e-cigarette users in Indonesia do not require dosage reduction.

Fourth, non-smoking treatments typically last for three months before evaluation. In Indonesia, however, the majority of people actually continue to use e-cigarettes even after they quit using traditional cigarettes.

Agus, a professor of pulmonary disease and respiratory medicine at the International University of Indonesia, also stated that the most effective method for quitting smoking is to strengthen one's commitment. If the commitment is strong, healthcare workers are better able to provide assistance.

Forms of assistance can include smoking cessation medications, which have a success rate of 30% - 50%. If patients find it difficult to quit smoking using medication, non-pharmaceutical help such as hypnotherapy, psychotherapy, acupuncture, and medical rehabilitation may be required.

He stated that, "In general circumstances, the success rate can nearly reach 60-70% with the additional treatment options available, both through medication and non-medication."