Objectives The aim of this study was to determine the predisposing, enabling and reinforcing factors associated with electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use among high school students in Jakarta, Indonesia. Methods This cross-sectional study took place in eight high schools in Jakarta, Indonesia. A total of 767 students were recruited by multistage cluster random sampling. Bivariate and multivariate statistical analyses were employed to determine the associations between socio-demographic, predisposing, reinforcing and enabling factors and e-cigarette use. Results Respondents were 54.1% male and the mean age was 16 years old [standard deviation (SD): 1.02]. In this sample, 32.2% of students (n = 247) had ever used e-cigarettes and 11.8% of students were e-cigarette users (n = 90). Several measured factors were positively associated with e-cigarette use, including: current smoking of conventional cigarettes [odds ratio (OR): 2.06]; perception that e-cigarettes are less addictive than conventional cigarettes (OR: 1.98); perception that e-cigarettes do not cause cancer (OR: 2.38); parental acceptance of e-cigarette use (OR: 3.80); and having enough money to buy e-cigarettes (OR: 3.24). The only variable found that was negatively associated with e-cigarette use was teacher’s use of e-cigarettes (OR: 0.34). Conclusions This study found that student social influences, perceptions about and accessibility to e-cigarettes were significantly positively associated with e-cigarette use among high school students in Jakarta, Indonesia. This study highlights the importance of educating students, their parents and teachers regarding safety and potential health hazards of using e-cigarettes. Efforts to implement and enforce youth access restrictions on e-cigarettes in Indonesia are crucial to preventing further uptake of these products.

Controversies surrounding the handling of corpses have been amplified during the present COVID-19 pandemic. According to Indonesian scholars, certain perspectives driving these controversies inhibit the implementation of health protocols issued by the government. This study comprehensively explores the diverse perceptions and responses of religious leaders regarding COVID-19 funeral management. Participants comprised six scholars from major Islamic religious organizations, two community leaders, and two families representing COVID-19 patients. Furthermore, content analysis was used to analyze the data. The results showed that the religious leaders, all men aged over 50 years, supported the health directives designed to reduce high transmission risk. However, there were substantial disparities in corpse preparation processes, potentially due to organizational beliefs around burial rites. Some religious leaders aligned their protocols with their religious beliefs. Conversely, families of the deceased insisted that the approved protocol for handling corpses went against their religious and cultural values. Therefore, promotion of protocols and coordination among the government, religious leaders, and the community are needed to decrease the misperceptions and misinformation surrounding the new COVID-19 funeral protocols.

The Hajj is an annual pilgrimage that 1–2 million Muslims undertake in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), which is the largest mass gathering event in the world, as the world’s most populous Muslim nation, Indonesia holds the largest visa quota for the Hajj. All Hajj pilgrims under the quota system are registered in the Indonesian government’s Hajj surveillance database to ensure adherence to the KSA authorities’ health requirements. Performance of the Hajj and its rites are physically demanding, which may present health risks. This report provides a descriptive overview of mortality in Indonesian pilgrims from 2004 to 2011. The mortality rate from 2004 to 2011 ranged from 149 to 337 per 100,000 Hajj pilgrims, equivalent to the actual number of deaths ranging between 501 and 531 cases. The top two mortality causes were attributable to diseases of the circulatory and respiratory systems. Older pilgrims or pilgrims with comorbidities should be encouraged to take a less physically demanding route in the Hajj. All pilgrims should be educated on health risks and seek early health advice from the mobile medical teams provided.

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