BACKGROUND: More than two third of Indonesian cities have adopted comprehensive smoke free law as part of the MPOWER strategies to protect people from tobacco smoke. The implementation of the regulation is relatively weak and varied across the country. Three cities/districts that showed good implementation were Bogor City, Kulonprogo District and Klungkung District. This study aims to portray the promoters and barriers of an effective smoke free law implementation from the perspective of venue managers.
METHODS: This study was a qualitative explorative study conducted from November-December 2023. Data was collected through a focus group discussion (FGD) attended by 10-12 participants from each city. The venue managers were selected purposively to represent all types of designated smoking area including health facilities, educational facilities, worship places, government offices, hospitality sectors (hotel and restaurant), public transportation services and other public places. The data was analysed thematically to identify different aspects of policy implementation and supporting and inhibiting factors of implementation, comparison across cities were also made.
RESULTS: Promoters of effective implementation of the policies were strong commitment from the regent/mayor, increased public awareness on smoke-free areas and positive support from the communities including religious/traditional leaders. Meanwhile, the challenges faced by venue managers were mainly due to lack of resources for internal monitoring and enforcement, resistance from some visitors especially in the hospitality sectors, limited spaces at the outdoor space for smoking area. Participants suggested the need to improve cooperation between venue managers, local governments, and the community, awareness programs and supporting infrastructure and resources.
CONCLUSIONS: The venue managers reported several factors that support and hamper the effective implementation of SFL which should be addressed for improving compliance. Venue managers play important roles to ensure the effective implementation. Improvement of their capacity and supporting resources with strong support from the leader and community is essential.