Attitudes of the original people of Papua in consuming areca

Abstract

The people of Papua have long been consuming areca nut. The embodiment of a person's thoughts and feelings to make a decision to take the act of consuming areca nut is an important attitude for a person. Attitude concerns knowledge, feelings, and the embodiment of actions that will direct someone to behave. This study aims to examine the attitudes of the Papuan people regarding the activity of chewing areca nut, chewing health, and maintaining environmental cleanliness as a result of chewing areca nut. The research was conducted in Manokwari City, West Manokwari District using a survey method with interview techniques of 120 respondents from indigenous Papuans. The measurement indicator uses tiered scores with the lowest score 1 to the highest score 5. Data is analyzed using simple tabulations and partial least squares test. The results of the study conclude that the Papuan people agree that chewing areca nut creates self-confidence, feelings of pleasure, and creates a friendly atmosphere. The Papuan people agree that consuming betel nut causes strong teeth and an odorless mouth. The attitude of the Papuan people in keeping the environment clean as a result of chewing areca nut is manifested in a statement not to throw spit and betel dregs anywhere, but this statement of attitude is not followed by any real behavior. There is a positive relationship between the attitude of chewing and the health of chewing areca nut on the attitude of keeping the environment clean.