Healthy People 2020:
Tobacco Use in Adolescents and Young Adults
Lori A. Montoya
Tacoma Community College
Healthy People 2020: Tobacco Use in Adolescents and Young Adults
Healthy People 2020 is a government funded program, under the Department of Health and Human Services, that “provides science-based, 10-year national objectives for improving the health of all Americans” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [DHHS], 2012, para.1). Because tobacco use in adolescence and young adults continues to have such a negative impact on our nation, Healthy People 2020 have implemented reducing tobacco use in adolescence as one of their objectives. It is estimated that, “more than 700,000 middle school students and three million high school students currently smoke”(DHHS; Office of Adolescent Health, 2014, para.1). This is an important fact because tobacco use is predominantly introduced and established during the adolescent years with, “nearly 90% of adult smokers in the United States began smoking by age 18 years” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2013, para.1). Therefore, preventing and discontinuing adolescent tobacco use is a vital task for nurses to take on in order to improve the health of our nation. This research paper will discuss the impact of tobacco use on the nation, manifestation of tobacco use, complications of tobacco use, and adolescent and young adult education and prevention of tobacco use.
The Impact of Tobacco Use on the Nation
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Office of Adolescent Health (2013), “More deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than by all deaths from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), illegal drug use, alcohol, motor vehicle injuries,...
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...tobacco use. The
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Trends in adolescent tobacco use. Retrieved from: http://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/adolescent-health-topics/substance-abuse/tobacco/trends.html
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.
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
As per the American Heart Association in 2013, an expected 23 percent of grown-up men and 18 percent of grown-up ladies in the United States are smokers. What’s even more troubling is the prevalence of juvenile smoking in our society. juvenile smoking is a very real danger among U.S. youngsters and high schoolers. About 25 percent of U.S. secondary school understudies are smokers, and an extra 8 percent use smokeless tobacco items, for example, snuff and plunge. But what is most disheartening, is that 30 percent of all juvenile smokers will become addicted and suffer health related complications due to prolonged smoking. Numerous components play into a kid's choice to attempt tobacco. A craving to seem "cooler", more advanced, or to
“Youth and Tobacco Use.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. N.p., 14 Feb. 2014. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. .
Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States and worldwide (Centers for Disease Control, 2013, World Health Organization, 2008). Tobacco cessation counseling is a vital component of any public health strategy seeking to decrease mortality, disease and costs associated with smoking. To that end, the Healthy People 2020 Tobacco Use Objectives cover three main areas: reducing tobacco use, instituting health system changes, and creating social and environmental changes (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013). Objective TU-10 falls under the category of health system changes as it seeks to open doors for patients to make quit attempts and to pursue tobacco cessation methods by increasing tobacco cessation counseling by physicians and other health care providers.
Tobacco is counted as one of the most dangerous drug and is one of the leading preventable causes of deaths in U.S. Many people put their life in danger by the use of this life taking drug, tobacco. The way Nicotine (which is derived from the tobacco plant and has very powerful affects on human body) works in our brain is by mimicking the actions of a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine (ACh). Acetylcholine (ACh) and its receptors perform various functions of our body, including muscle movement, breathing, heart rate, learning, and memory. Acetylochine is also involved in releasing other neurotransmitters and hormones that affect our appetite, mood etc. When nicotine is introduced to our body, nicotine molecules, which are shaped like acetylcholine, take over the actions of acetylcholine and perform all its functions. Although, many studies described the negative health issues caused by the use of tobacco, the article, “Gender and the tobacco-depression” emphases on the relationship of tobacco and depression and its possible variations by gender in African America young adults.
When it comes to some people 's opinion about tobacco they just think it is all terrible; however, many doctors have proven that it is not the case with smokeless tobacco. There are people in the world who say smokeless tobacco is awful because it causes mouth cancer, tooth loss, and gum disease because they have listened to the anti-tobacco corporations and the incorrect warning labels. There are also doctors and businesses in several countries that have proven that it does not cause any of these medical problems. Instead of people assuming that they should cut out all tobacco products, they should try to educate themselves in the benefits of chewing tobacco. In the end people will find that smokeless tobacco
There are 1.1 billion tobacco users in the world and it is set to increase to 1.6billion over the next two decades. Addiction to tobacco impacts poverty and development. In poorer countries, up to 30% of income is spent on tobacco, reducing funds available for nutrition, education and healthcare. Every year in the U.S., more than 480,000 people die from tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke, making it the leading cause of preventable death in this country.
Eighty percent of smokers began smoking before they turned eighteen (Statistic Brain-Underage Smoking Statistic). Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer in America. Adolescents are smoking cigarettes and other tobacco products more each day. Young people aren’t aware of the effects that smoking has on their body, some know the effects and still smoke to look “cool” or “popular”. The truth is that they are just slowly killing themselves. “Smoking kills. If you’re killed, you’ve lost a very important part of your life” (Shields).
Tobacco is a powerful plant that has become extraordinarily affluent and in demand worldwide. It has been one of the most commonly used drugs throughout the past few centuries and it has a very long history. It dates back to the time of the Native Americans, but became increasingly popular when the Europeans arrived to America. At the time, it became very popular for trading. People traded spices, silk, food, and more, in exchange for tobacco. There are more than 70 different strains of tobacco. There are also numerous ways for one to consume tobacco including cigars, cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and flavored tobacco. Although not everyone consumes tobacco, tobacco affects everybody. Tobacco has drastic effects on the world and these effects impact everyone. Most importantly, tobacco influences our health drastically. There is a notable comparison between a person who does not smoke tobacco and a person who does. Tobacco also impacts everything around us. It drastically impacts our economy and our surrounding environments.
Nicotine (C10H14N2) is one of the most common and addictive of substances used in daily life worldwide. Chemically, it is a yellow-brown, soluble liquid that has a peculiar fish-like odor and a “MSD hazard diamond classification of 3 for health, 1 for flammability, and 0 for reactivity”(ScienceLab.com, 10/10/05). It is a chemical most commonly found in cigarettes, which combines the nicotine with tobacco. The nicotine in the cigarettes is what causes them to become addictive. Addiction is described as “a dependency or chemical imbalance in the brain that cause people to have no control of their actions where the addiction is involved” (Nordqvist, March 2009). A person can get addicted to anything such as gambling, alcohol, and nicotine. In 2011, it was collected that “38.1% of American adults smoke, with 21.6% being adult men and 16.5% being adult woman” (According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention). In a whole, Nicotine can have harmful effects on your nerves and senses like addiction, but can also make you feel happy, assertive, and concentrated. So is it worth the risk? Or does Nicotine do more harm than good?
Through public education, most elementary school kids can understand that smoking is bad for them and that cigarettes are additive. Cigarettes are addictive due to nicotine, a drug found in tobacco (“Quitting Smoking”, 2015). According to Schneider (2016), some of the greatest health problems associated with smoking include: lung cancer, other cancers, coronary heart disease, other heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, other vascular disease, diabetes mellitus, pneumonia, influenza, tuberculosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), prenatal conditions, and sudden infant death syndrome. As stated by the Authority of the American Lung Association in an article titled “Health
Tobacco is made from dried up tobacco leaves prepared with chemicals to create products such as: chewing tobacco, dip, and loose tobacco to be smoked on cigarettes and pipes. There is a demand for tobacco and if companies were to stop making tobacco, then another company will sell it due to supply and demand. Even though people do choose to buy tobacco products on their own free will. Tobacco companies are partly to blame for smoking related illnesses and deaths since they knowingly create a product that is harmful, in addition, they try to appeal to a younger audience, and lastly, tobacco products are highly addictive.
People take drugs, tobacco and alcohol for different reasons and some is a result of their background, for leisure and so forth. These uses pose a threat to the health and well-being of adolescents. Adolescents and young adults in their 20s are at the highest risk for illicit drug use. For some drug users, use that begins in adolescence continues well into adulthood. “Addiction is a developmental disease; the earlier an adolescent begins drug use, the more likely their use will progress to become serious abuse or addiction (Johnston, 2012)”. There for earlier exposure is the major impact in addiction and dependence to some extent.
Tobacco and alcohol are two kind of drug are used and abuse in United States. Both of the drugs are legal in United States but that doesn’t a necessary mean that tobacco and alcohol is better for health. More than 500,000 people died from tobacco every year in United States, while more than 75,000 people died from alcohol every year in United States. Minimum age to buy tobacco is 18 year and to buy alcohol is 21. 75% or more people died from tobacco than alcohol but still in United States the tobacco. Both of them tobacco and alcohol drugs are bad for heath and it can lead to death. Lot of people is drive while drinking or smoking, even though it is against the law. Most of them are young people who are between 21 to 25 age year old, they thinking that drinking or smoking while driving is cool but they don’t realizes that it is not good for themselves.