Smoking Related Illnesses and the Impact of the QUIT Campaign - Article Example

Smoking Related Illnesses and the Impact of the QUIT Campaign Smoking is now widely regarded as an activity that can be associated with numerous health risks, not only for the individual engaging in the activity, but also for those who are in the immediate vicinity and thus must partake of what has been termed ‘second-hand smoke’. About a quarter of all Britons ages 16 and older still smoke cigarettes as a daily activity. According to National Statistics (General Household Survey, 2005), this number has fallen in recent years. “The proportion of adults who smoked cigarettes fell substantially in the 1970s and the early 1980s – from 45 per cent in 1974 to 35 per cent in 1982” (General Household Survey, 2005). In the 90s, this number fell to 30 per cent and again fell in the early 2000s to its present reported 24 per cent. Although smoking was considered to be primarily a man’s activity in the earlier years, women have since caught up to where the proportion of male smokers to female smokers is nearly equal. Smoking also continues to be most prevalent among younger adults in the 20-35 age range. A great deal of the decreases in smoking seen in the years between 1970 and 1990 can be attributed to a large extent upon more effective health warnings regarding the very real risks to personal and social health brought forward by smoking. Increased efforts at preventing young people from beginning the habit and greater attempts to help smokers quit the habit have also had some effect on these statistics. “In 2005 just over two-thirds (68 per cent) of cigarette smokers in Great Britain said that they wanted to give up, but 56 per cent said it would be difficult to go without smoking for a whole day” (General Household Survey, 2005). To try to meet the needs of these people, a new initiative to stop smoking in Great Britain has been launched. Called the QUIT campaign, many of the prevention techniques proven successful in the past have been brought together in a single distribution point. The effectiveness of the QUIT campaign can perhaps best be assessed when compared with the risks of smoking both to the individual and to society and the various prevention strategies that have been implemented in the past. There are numerous health-related risks definitively linked to smoking. Cancer was perhaps the first of these links. “Lung cancer is the deadliest smoking related illness of all and will most likely affect smokers than non-smokers. Statistics show that 90 per cent of smokers develop lung cancer and one out of ten moderate smokers and one out of five heavy smokers will die of lung cancer” (Hartwell, 2007). Other forms of cancer have also been linked to smoking including cancer in the throat, the mouth, the larynx (voice box), oesophagus, kidney, bladder, pancreas, stomach, blood (in the form of leukemia) and cervix (Smoking Related Illnesses, 2008). Although cancer is very common among smokers, the primary health concern remains focused on the cardiovascular system. “The harmful substances inhaled by smokers harden the arteries which speed up blood clotting” (Hartwell, 2007). This can lead to stroke, heart disease, aneurysms and peripheral vascular disease which can lead to amputation. The respiratory system is also heavily affected as infected lungs become less able to recover from the constant onslaught. According to an article entitled “Smoking Related Illnesses” (2008), “90 per cent of cases of emphysema seen by physicians are caused by smoking” while cases of pneumonia and bronchitis are much more prevalent in smokers than non-smokers. Other risks include reduced fertility and birth complications for women, significant health risks to the unborn baby such as higher rates of cot death, gum disease leading to the loss of teeth, brittle bones, eye cataracts, stomach ulcers and premature skin aging. Secondhand smoke is defined as that smoke that an individual inhales as a result of someone else’s smoking nearby and can have significant impacts on the public health. While some argue that the danger from this smoke is minimal, others have identified several properties of secondhand smoke that make it clear this form of smoke is more potent and therefore more dangerous than the smoke the smoker is inhaling into his or her lungs. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (1992), smoke inhaled through the filter of a cigarette has only half of the tar and nicotine that can be found in a similar sized cloud of secondhand smoke. Despite their non-smoking status, this same report indicates that approximately “3,000 non-smokers a year die from lung cancer caused by secondhand smoke” and another “37,000 non-smokers a year die from heart disease attributed to secondhand smoke” (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1992). These numbers are supported by other evidence of the harmful effects of secondhand smoke such as the study conducted by Fontham et al (1994) in which it was shown that non-smoking women married to heavy smokers had twice the risk of non-smoking women married to non-smokers to develop lung cancer. Another study conducted on workers who were often exposed to repeated and extended exposure to secondhand smoke, such as bartenders and waitresses, also demonstrated a 25-75 percent greater risk of lung cancer, with the chances becoming increasingly likely with the number of years employed in such environments (Pisani et al, 2001). Children exposed to high levels of secondhand smoke are susceptible to greater instances of bronchitis, pneumonia and other respiratory infections, chronic ear infections and asthma (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1992) in spite of never having smoked in their lives while they also experience a higher incidence of smoking as young adults thanks to the habits of their early role models. There have been several attempts to curb the interest in smoking by health associations and governments around the world. Regulations have been put in place in numerous countries banning the promotion of cigarettes at public functions and events, especially those geared toward families and young children as well as advertising in mainstream media channels such as television and film commercials (Ogden, 2008). In addition, numerous countries have enforced a requirement placed on tobacco producers to warn consumers about the potential risks involved with use of the product on the packaging itself. Further legislation is in place to prevent children under the age of 18 from purchasing tobacco products and health agencies actively participate in prevention strategies. Nurses, for example, are often one of the first lines of defense against potential illness. Because adolescence is the primary high-risk period for individuals to take up the smoking habit, nurses working with this age group can be particularly influential (Whyte & Kearney, 1999). Nurses who are aware of the factors that are likely to increase incidence of smoking are in a better position to intervene in an appropriate manner. For example, teenagers are less likely to respond to health risks that may take years or even decades to manifest than they are to more immediate concerns such as bad breath or smelly clothing. Making themselves aware of the various reasons why an individual chooses to smoke can also assist nurses in discovering alternative means of satisfying those needs or in helping an individual discover a method of quitting that will likely be more successful. Being ready and available to supply advice and encouragement to patients either not to take up smoking or to quit smoking enables nurses to assist individuals to develop personal plans that might work for them. Finally, nurses should be ready to arrange for follow-up care as a means of continuing to provide support, encouragement and support. Many of these elements of a nurse’s involvement in reducing the levels of smoking in Great Britain are being duplicated through a voluntary, non-profit organization entitled QUIT (2008). The program offers several options to help support smokers attempting to kick the habit. These include Text to Stop, a texting feature that allows volunteers and smokers to talk in real-time, giving smokers attempting to quit an immediate outlet to both occupy their fingers and distract them from their desire to smoke even as they talk with someone supportive of their desire to quit. Through medical updates, the site also provides smokers with helpful information letting them know when to seek medical help based on symptoms common for smokers, such as COPD. Although the focus of the campaign is to encourage smokers to quit, it does not condemn those smokers who haven’t yet quit the habit. The organization provides a means of organizing community fitness programs and organizes special fundraising events based on physical exercise. Finally, the program offers a separate section geared specifically toward adolescents and young adults, helping these individuals connect with others their own age and with a specific focus on the concerns and issues facing this age group. Because it provides numerous avenues of support free of change to anyone wishing to quit smoking, the QUIT campaign is expected to be very effective in helping Britons quit smoking. Smoking, whether engaged in directly or simply being exposed, has been proven to have detrimental long-term health effects on peoples’ health. Proven links between smoking, cancer, cardiovascular disease and respiratory illness exist, which should be enough reason for people to quit. However, the addictive properties of nicotine have proven equally difficult to break for many. While numerous prevention techniques have been identified and various health professionals, such as nurses, have been trained regarding how to support smokers seeking help quitting, only the QUIT campaign has offered a one-stop location for these individuals to discover others who have struggled through similar experiences and the support and encouragement they need to successfully stop smoking for good. References Fontham, E.T.; Correa, P.; Reynolds, P; Wu-Williams, A.; Buffler, P.A.; Greenberg, R.S.; Chen, V.W.; Alterman, T.; Boyd, P.; Austin, D.F.; et al. (1994). “Environmental Tobacco Smoke and Lung Cancer in Nonsmoking Women: A Multicenter Study.” Journal of the American Medical Association. Vol. 271: 1752-1759. General Household Survey. (2005). National Statistics. DirectGov. Available 2 September 2008 from Hartwell, Eric. (2007). “Smoking-Related Illnesses.” Ezine Articles. Available 2 September 2008 from < http://ezinearticles.com/?Smoking-Related-Illnesses&id=463999> Ogden, Chris. (30 May 2008). “TMA Response on Government Proposals to Restrict Tobacco Sales.” Tobacco Manufacturer’s Association. Available 2 September 2008 from < http://www.the-tma.org.uk/news_detail.aspx?news_page_id=8&news_id=175> Pisani, Paola; Bray, Freddie & Parkin, Maxwell. (2001). “Estimates of the World-Wide Prevalence of Cancer for 25 Sites in the Adult Population.” International Journal of Cancer. 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