JAKARTA, May 27 (Xinhua) — Amid the increasing rate of smoking people across the country, Indonesian students are highly expected to become the agents to encourage adult people in their families to quit from the habit that apparently has been contributing to the increasing deaths related to cancer and heart diseases.

The role of students, particularly the female ones, in influencing their parents and their brothers to quit smoking is considered effective, according to experts speaking in a seminar discussing smoking prevention efforts held here on Thursday.

“Instead of listening to advices from their colleagues and doctors for the sake of their own health, most parents used to pay attention to the requests of their beloved children to quit from smoking,” Fuad Baradja, an anti-smoking campaigner, said in the seminar.

According to the former TV soap opera star, the efforts to curb the smoking habit in the family level would be very effective instead of requesting the government and the parliament to issue policies aimed at limiting the cigarette distribution and sentences for those smoking in public areas.

Fuad said that children have the emotion factor that drives parents to pay attention to their own health, make healthier atmosphere at home.

“No single parent can resist the requests that want them to be present at their daughters’ graduation, witness their wedding and see their grandchildren grow happily and healthily,” Fuad said.