Changes in Smoking Status and Behaviours After the First Ten Months of Covid-19 Pandemic in Indonesia.

INTRODUCTION: There remains inconclusive evidence on potential changes in smoking status and behaviours during the COVID-9 pandemic, especially in developing countries. This study explores the direction of changes in smoking status and behaviours after ten months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia as well as examining the association between economic shocks and changes in smoking behaviours. METHODS: Primary data were gathered through a phone survey targeting productive-age mobile-phone users in Indonesia (n=1,082). Descriptive analysis was employed to determine changes in smoking status and behaviours ten month into the pandemic, while logistic regression analysis was used to investigate how employment shocks, financial strain, COVID-19 related indicators, and demographic characteristics were associated with smoking behaviours of people who continue smoking. RESULTS: Respondents experiencing changes in smoking status were dominated by people who persistently smoked during the pandemic, while those who quit, relapsed, and started smoking, was extremely small. Nevertheless, a considerable portion of people who continue smoking adjusted their smoking behaviours: 40.3% reduced smoking intensity and 25.3% switched to lower-price cigarettes. Multivariable regression analysis revealed that, among people who continue smoking, those who experienced financial strain during the pandemic had higher odds of reducing smoking intensity, while those who switched to lower job status had higher odds of switching to cheaper cigarettes. CONCLUSIONS: The research has shown that smoking status and behaviours of people who continue smoking mostly remained unchanged after ten months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Changes in employment and financial conditions during the pandemic were associated with modified smoking behaviours. IMPLICATIONS: This study is the first to determine the direction and analyse the factors of changes in smoking during the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia. This new understanding should help improve predicting the trends in smoking in future crises or pandemics in developing countries, specifically Indonesia. The discovered patterns on smokers' reaction to an exogenous shock may provide evidence to support tobacco control policies in Indonesia.

COVID-19 in Indonesia: Challenges and Multidisciplinary Perspectives for a Safe and Productive New Normal.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruption in all aspects of life, and countries around the world have been combating this pandemic using multiple approaches. Success in one country does not guarantee a transferable approach to other countries with different contexts. This review describes the challenges of COVID-19 management in Indonesia as a populous, socially and culturally diverse, and archipelagic country. It aims to provide multidisciplinary perspectives for a safe, evidence-based, and productive new normal as well as a comprehensive and integrated actionable policy for COVID-19 control.

Indonesia Under the New Normal: Challenges and the Way Ahead

As the Covid-19 crisis deepened in 2020, President Joko Widodo announced that Indonesia should prepare for the ‘new normal’. But when social distancing restrictions were relaxed in June to encourage economic recovery, the virus was not yet contained in Indonesia. Since then, the rate of infection has been rising faster than in many neighbouring countries. The pandemic has hit the economy hard, with a 5.3% reduction in GDP in the second quarter, the worst economic slump since 1998. In this Survey, we look at how Indonesia is preparing for the new normal. We argue that the government is focused on short-term recovery and does not have a clear strategy to address the medium-and longer-term implications of Covid-19. The response to the virus relies on public compliance to public health measures. There is a clear lack of emphasis on reducing the rate of infection through effective testing and tracing and enforcing social distancing and mobility restrictions. The government has developed an economic recovery plan that concentrates on cushioning the short-term impact of the crisis and supporting the poor and near-poor, rather than reducing long-term poverty and preventing structural changes in unemployment. Finally, we find that the pandemic is undermining the long-term financial sustainability of Indonesia’s social health insurance system. The education sector is reasonably prepared for extended school closures and distance learning. Yet there is no strategy to address the accumulated learning losses resulting from this crisis.