Seminar and Talkshow "Billboard of Lies: Why Does Cigarette Branding & Advertising Blurs Indonesia Emas?"

Denpasar - Center For NCDs, Tobacco Control And Lung Health Udayana University (Udayana Central) in collaboration with the Public Health Undergraduate Study Program, Faculty of Medicine and the Center for Indonesia's Strategic Development Initiatives (CISDI) held Seminar and Talkshow activities in the context of the CISDI Goes to Campus program with the theme "Billboard of Lies: Why Does Cigarette Branding & Advertising Blurs Indonesia Emas?" took place in the Dr. A.A Made Djelantik Meeting Room Faculty of Medicine, Udayana University (Unud) Sudirman Campus Denpasar, Monday (18/11/2024).

This activity was held to increase discussion space for the younger generation so that they can be more selective in choosing a healthy and sustainable lifestyle regarding one of the health problems that is currently of public concern, namely smoking behavior which can have a significant impact on long-term health, especially for young people. The seminar and talk show, which was attended by students from the Public Health Study Program and students from the Political and Communication Studies Program, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, was opened by the Vice Rector for Student Affairs representing the Chancellor of Udayana University.

CISDI Senior Communication Officer Tengku Raka on this occasion introduced a glimpse of CISDI, which is a non-profit organization operating in the health sector. The CISDI team comes from various scientific disciplines and expertise whose aim is to create comprehensive solutions for fair and equal health development. He also explained the contributions, activities and programs implemented by CISDI.

Vice Dean for Student Affairs and Information, Faculty of Medicine, Unud Prof. Dr. I Md. Ady Wirawan, MPH., Ph.D in his speech expressed his thanks to CISDI for choosing the Faculty of Medicine as the place to carry out this activity. The theme raised is also very close to the challenges currently being faced and the Faculty of Medicine is also struggling internally regarding the smoking issue.

Meanwhile, the Vice Rector for Student Affairs, Dr. Gusti Ngurah Alit Susanta Wirya, S.P., M.Agr. In his speech, he stated that as we know, smoking behavior is a big challenge in public health. Smoking is the cause of all diseases. Every year, thousands of lives are lost due to diseases caused by smoking, both active and passive smokers. This cannot be separated from the influence of marketing strategies from the increasingly diverse cigarette industry.

Children are very easily exposed to cigarette advertising and promotions, generally through TV, sales outlets and the internet. Industry strategies targeting young smokers are also very varied, ranging from booths at music concerts, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), to misleading branding such as electronic cigarettes which are claimed to be healthier and safer to consume than conventional cigarettes. We need to know these related things so that we don't fall for the cigarette industry's strategy in marketing its products.

"I hope that this activity can be a space for young students to understand the impact of smoking, the importance of limiting advertising, sponsorship and CSR in the cigarette industry to prevent young people from being influenced by the industry's marketing strategies. You can also discuss with very helpful speakers. competent in the field of tobacco control," said the Vice Rector.

The Vice Rector also expressed his gratitude to CISDI for agreeing to come to Udayana University as a forum for sharing knowledge with younger students.

This seminar and talk show presented three speakers, namely Dr. Putu Ayu Swandewi Astuti, MPH, Ph.D (Chair of Udayana Central), dr. Beladenta Amalia, MPH., Ph.D (Project Lead of Tobacco Control CISDI) and Ni Luh Rosita Dewi, S.IP (DPRemaja 3.0 Bali) and moderator I Made Bagaskara (Faculty of Medicine Unud Outstanding Student 2024).