Tobacco Consumption in Adolescents: A Health Promotion Campaign
This essay will discuss the issue of smoking in adolescents from the Australian context. The discussion will include a recent campaign that has been created to cut the morbidity rates of smoking in adolescents from Western Australian (WA). The campaign “Smarter than Smoking” provided an effective health promotion interventions to reduce tobacco enhancement for adolescents aged 10-15 years old. The essay will provide an analysis on tobacco consumption in adolescents. Thus, portraying the potential harms of smoking at a young age in Western Australia. This will lead to a discussion about the implementation of the program “Smarter than Smoking” and the effectiveness of the program in the society.
Background on the issue:
Smoking in Australia has been measured to be one of the countless major epidemics in adults. According to the report by Scollo (2011) the majority of adult smokers have acquired the habit of smoking in their early adolescence. This is resembled in the survey’s conducted in 1995-1996 (Brown & Quinn, 2013; Mitchell, 2008; Wood, 2009), which indicated that the rates for smokers within the ages of 10-15 were 20% and 16-17 were 40%. The high prevalence of smoking at such a young age is influenced by extrinsic and intrinsic factors (Mitchell, 2008). According to Brown (2013) extrinsic factors such as family, friends, and media were the main resources for adolescents to learn smoking. However, according to Mitchell (2008) the spark of any cigarette was initially created by a crucial intrinsic factor, which is curiosity. Curiosity and imitation influences this young population to cause harm to their lives and others. A recent research conducted by Scollo (20...
... middle of paper ...
.... (Ed.1). Western Australia: 11th National Rural Health Conference.
Brown, K., & Quinn, N. (2013). Smarter than smoking campaign summary. In H.
Foundation (Ed.2), (Vol. 1-9).
Mitchell, J., Rosenber, M., & Wood, L. (2008). Adolescents with attitude ... changes
in views about smoking over time. HEALTH PROMOTION JOURNAL OF
AUSTRALIA, 19(2), 109-112.
Scollo, M., & Winstanley, M. (2011). Tobacco in Australia (Vol. 4). Victoria: Cancer
Council.
White, V., & Bariola, E. (2011). Australian secondary school students' use of
tobacco, alcohol, and over-the-counter and illicit substances in 2011. Victoria:
Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer.
Wood, L., Rosenberg, M., Clarkson, J., Phillips, F., Donovan, R., & Shilton, T.
(2009). Encouraging young Western Australians to be smarter than smoking.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH PROMOTION, 23(6), 403-411.
Smoking is a lifestyle, a habit, and a trend. Smoking has become a social activity among teens, connecting them through the craving of a smoke. Smoking is seen as seductive and cool in the media and movies which influences teenagers to smoke even more. The World Health Organization has stated that “Tobacco kills around 6 million people each year. More than 5 million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use while more than 600,000 are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke.” As of April 2016, only 7% of teenagers in the U.S. smoke, but it is said that tobacco use will kill 8 million people annually by 2030. 99% of adult smokers start in their years as teenagers. Smoking is an epidemic that has taken control of people’s lives since 1881 and the media since the early 1900s. Smoking currently kills about 440,000 people a year in the U.S. I feel that it is an issue because it is the #1 most preventable way to die, but people still continue to smoke because of how it looks and how they are perceived as a person if they do. The fact that people become addicted to a trend that will attribute to their death for the sake of being thought of as cooler, is a problem that needs to be addressed.
Tobacco companies should be prevented from using advertising tactics that target teenagers. There has always been controversy as to how tobacco companies should prevent using advertising tactics to target teenagers. As controversial as this is tobacco companies shouldn’t advertise teen smoking. Many teens may be lured to believe cigarette advertising because it has been part of the American Culture for years, magazine ads and the media target young people, and these companies receive a drastic increase financially; however, the advertising by these cigarette companies has disadvantages such as having to campaign against their own company, limiting their cigarette advertising and becoming a controversial dilemma as to encouraging teenagers to smoke. From billboards to newspaper advertisements, cigarette promotions started becoming part of the American Culture.
Every year in the United States, more than 480,000 people die from tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke; consequently, making this the leading cause of preventable death in this country. People are usually introduced to smoking at a young age; mostly around the preteen years. During this critical time preteen are transitioning from middle school to high school; teens at this age find it a little harder fitting in with others all while forming their own sense of identity. Preteens only pick up the habit of smoking to cope with these challenges. What these teens do not know is that smoking at an early age only increases their chances of suffering from a lifelong addiction. To help assuage the situation the Nicotinell anti-smoking organization
Tobacco companies have relied on the media to lure children. They quickly realized that ‘the company that dominates is that which most effectively targets young”(Imperial Tobacco document.) To counteract the idea of disease and other negative aspects of tobacco, the industry used imagery in the media such as natural settings and healthy actors doing active things. This helps them to insinuate that smoking leads to success, romance, sophistication and other advancements in their lifestyle, which was easily imprinted in the minds of children. A document found among Imperial tobacco files described their priority: “…having our imagery reach those non-reading young people who frequent malls should be our chief goal.”(1.170) Unaware of how important the under 18 market was to the industry, the government could only attempt to lengthen the distance between schools and billboards because they’re ineffective attempts were ignored by the large corporations. With many billboards concentrated in small areas it put the idea in children’s minds that smoking was socially acceptable and that t...
There has been an expediential growth in the number of teenager’s beginning to smokes do to facts such as curiousness, peer
and 18. These kids add up to 90 percent of all new smokers (Roberts 38). These
This essay is aimed to explore, analyse and discuss smoking in adults. Smoking is a public health issue as such is one of the major contributors to high mortality and ill-health in the adults which is preventable (Health and Excellence Care (NICE) (2012). The United Kingdom (UK) is known to have the highest number of people with a history of smoking among people with low socio-economic status (Scriven and Garman, 2006; Goddard and Green, 2005). Smoking is considered a serious epidemic in the UK and the National institute for Health and Excellence Care (NICE, 2012) stated that 28% of adults with low economic status are tobacco smokers compared with 13% of those with economic status or having professional incomes. Furthermore almost 80,000 people died in England in 2011 as a result of smoking related issues and 9,500 admissions of children died due to being second hand smokers (WHO, 2005). This essay focuses on definition of smoking, the aim is to underline the relationship between smoking and the determinants of health and then, the size, prevalence, and morbidity trend of smoking will be explored. Furthermore, some public health policies introduced to confront the issues around smoking will be investigated and finally, the roles of nurses will identify health needs the public so as to promote good health and their wellbeing.
The Victorian public health and wellbeing plan establishes a new and ambitious population health vision for the state: a Victoria free of the avoidable burden of disease and injury. The priority areas of the Victorian Public Health and Wellbeing Plan are healthier eating and active living, tobacco-free living, reducing harmful alcohol and drug use, improving mental health, preventing violence and injury, and improving sexual and reproductive health, the priority area that I will mainly be focusing in this essay is tobacco free living. The three determinants of Health that I will be discussing/ analysing in this piece are the biological, physical environment and social determinants
Each single cigarette contains over 4,000 harmful and deadly chemicals encases in them, including the most well-known substance, nicotine, which is highly addictive. As stated by Quit-Line 3,793 people died from smoking in Australia in 2010. This number included the deaths of 8 children and 27 adults after being continually exposed to second hand smoke. The main cancer caused by smoking and second hand smoke is lung cancer. However, as stated by Australian Government site, Tobacco in Australia smoking can also cause other types of serious and potentially life-threatening illnesses such as Oesophageal cancer, Parkinson’s disease, heart diseases, and peripheral vascular disease. Tobacco in Australia has also stated that smoking can lead to low birthweight in newborns with 12 newborns dying of this in 2005. Most of these conditions have a very high death rate, take for example, around 30% of all known cases of heart disease in citizens under 60 are due to smoking states the Victorian Quit-Line. Many of the health conditions brought about through smoking are untreatable, resulting in high death rates which could’ve have been avoided if smoking was banned in Australia. Not only does a person’s choice to smoke their risk of getting these horrific diseases, but their choice can also put the lives of the people around them at
In recent years, smoking has started to take over the lives of many teenagers. The number of teenagers smoking has increased dramatically in the last several years. This is a major problem because smoking can lead to sickness and major diseases that can lead to death. Teens tend to participate in this while out of the presence of an adult figure. Although teens should not be smoking in the first place, an adult figure should be around to help insure that their children are doing the right things, even when they are behind closed doors with their peers. Teenagers as they mature become a model for younger children and when they set the example of smoking can ruin their good image to the children that look up to them.
Smoking cigarettes is a detrimental practice not only to the smoker, but also to everyone around the smoker. According to an article from the American Lung Association, “Health Effects” (n.d.), “Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S., causing over 438,000 deaths per year”. The umbrella term for tobacco use includes the use of cigarettes, cigars, e-cigs and chewing tobacco. While tobacco causes adverse health consequences, it also has been a unifying factor for change in public health. While the tobacco industries targets specific populations, public health specifically targets smokers, possible smokers, and the public to influence cessation, policies and education.
The Victorian ‘Tobacco Act 1987) was the first broad tobacco legislation and aimed to reduce smoking prevalence. The Act states ‘A person must not sell a tobacco product to a person under the age of 18 years.” (Human Service Western Region Tobacco Project Report) As part of this Government intervention, penalties were introduced with the maximum penalty for breaching the provision being $1000 first offence, $2000 second offence and possible loss of tobacco license for subsequent offences. Tobacco sales make up a large percentage of convenience stores sales (Refer to 5.????) and this Government crackdown on cigarettes which has continued to be prevalent has in some respects increased cigarette sales. The state government has acknowledged and concluded “A Disproportionate number of cigarette sales to minors occurred at milkbars and service station convenience stores compared to supermarkets, newsagents, and tobacconists.)
In recent years, smoking has started to take over the lives of many teenagers. The number of teenagers smoking has increased dramatically in the last several years. This is a major problem because smoking can lead to sickness and major diseases that can lead to death. Teens tend to participate in this while out of the presence of an adult figure. Although teens should not be smoking in the first place, an adult figure should be around to help insure that their children are doing the right things, even when they are behind sealed doors with their peers. Teenagers as they mature become a model for younger children and when they set the example of smoking can ruin their respectable image to the children that look up to them.
Today, there has been an increase in the amount of teenagers who smoke half a pack a day of cigarettes. The number of seniors in high school who have tried cigarettes has decreased over the years, but the number of those who smoke occasionally or half a pack or more a day, has increased. There are many factors as to why teenagers smoke including advertising and teen behavior. There are also a few ways we can stop teenagers from wanting to smoke. Therefore, we need to make teens aware that smoking is not good for you and it is not cool and we need to figure out why teens think it is cool. We need to find out why teens smoke and how we can make the
Consequently, tobacco which contains many harmful chemicals damages human beings’ health day by day. Although people are aware of the bad effects of smoking, they still smoke for one reason or another. When the current situation is considered, it is clear that smoking which has been spreading all over the world is not only the problem of a country or a territory but the problem of mankind because smoking brings many disadvantages for humans like diseases. I personally believe that it is important to help children remain lifelong non-smokers because they are our hope for a non-smoking future.