Social, Cultural and Economic Context of Health - Essay Example

Critically discuss the social, cultural and economic influences on stop smoking services within a health system Health Services Health services are typically associated to provision of medical care for general public. These services include diagnosis, treatment, promotion of diseases and prevention, maintenance & renovation of individual’s health. These health services are the most evident feature of any health system which determines the level of health initiatives and provision of basic health facilities. Provision of health in any country is considered to be the top priority whereas health services serves the mean to fulfil the objectives of that priority. In this regard National Health Service (NHS) in United Kingdom can be quoted as an illustration of health services under health care system. NHS is the publicly funded health system facilitating residents of UK with almost free or low cost health care (Mandelstam, 2007). NHS provides diagnosis and treatments at subsidized rate while the ultimate target is societal welfare and health safety. Similarly stop smoking services are one of primary health care initiatives which are responsible for providing assistance to people who are willing to quit smoking (Brigham, 1998). Stop smoking services also deliver trainings, knowledge and awareness to communities and to managers to overcome the illness smoking but without the understanding of factors which affect these services, conducting smoking cessation activities will not be effective either they are individual counselling, group therapies, mass media campaigns or self-help material (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009). So, for an effective stop smoking services an insight of factors affecting is an essential step. 2. Factor affecting Stop smoking Services a. Socio-demographic factors There are number of social factors which result in the effectiveness of a health services and in event of mismanagement, these factors can also lead to failure. In case of smoking when stop smoking services are targeting to contain smoking, it is essential to evaluate the social set up and demographic of individuals who tend to start smoking. Age is the first factor to be analysed for any health service program. Usually children in their teenage are more prone to start smoking while children whose parents smoke are more likely to start smoking. According to World Health Organisation, children between the ages of 11 to 15 are inclined to be distracted easily. Among these children, usually children with broken homes and with problem parents were at top. Talking about gender, undoubtedly male are more prominent in smoking but female statistics are not far behind. Peer pressure and smoker’s company are also another social influence affecting individuals to involve in smoking under which it is very hard for individuals to stay away (Taylor, Michelle, & Hendron, 2008). In order to design a health service to stop smoking, authorities must ensure understanding of these socio-demographic factors. b. Economic factors Health services and targeted programs do not come off any cost rather greater the disease, greater will be the economic burden for that particular health service (Farquhar & Summers, 2001). Now, stop smoking programs are faced with greater economic challenges at both macro and micro level. Both individuals and governments are affected by the economic cost of an illness and recovery program. In most of the cases individuals are attracted to smoking considering it a solution to their financial and economic stress. Usually people in low income societies or with unemployment or with financial stress are more exposed to smoking. Well after going through individual hurdle when smoking causes cancer or any other disease, it again puts financial burden to governments and to health system whereas stop smoking services are faced with health inequalities. People with higher economic status can easily get treatment but people who cannot afford medication end up leaving a huge gap in life expectancy statistics of the country. On the other hand stop smoking programs cost productivity loss since a huge amount of health sector resources are only spent in stop smoking services while the same amount could be spent on more serious health programs. c. Cultural factors Smoking has become a part of our societal setup and is considered as a norm for respect, glamour, sex and attitude. We cannot blame anyone other than media for this negative enforcement on society. Over many years media has portrayed bosses and people with respect to be smoker having a desirable style and fashion which now is posing threat to health system. Stop smoking programs are highly affected by the culture which undermines their effectiveness because risk, macho, sporty and exciting personality is imaged as a culture (Lichtenberg, 2009). Youth which is the ultimate for smoking brands is following such culture for decades and is successfully affecting stop smoking program. d. Physical Accessibility factors Smoking is not a viral disease that extends to people sitting nearby. No doubt passive smoking has some harmful effects but for its addiction, it requires physical interaction. Now physical accessibility can be viewed as availability of cigarette to individuals and availability of timely treatment. As of first scenario availability of cigarette to teens and children is the biggest factor for affecting health safety. It has been established above that children in age from 11 to 15 are more likely to initiate smoking while unavailability of cigarette in this age can change the destiny and if teen is contained at this level, it saves many lives and money. Though in later scenario when individual has already become an active smoker, physical accessibility of stop smoking program and treatment can affect the health system. All which will determine the effectiveness is the timing of physical accessibility which can change the fate of any individual. e. Financial Accessibility factors Financial accessibility can also be linked to pre and post intervention timing. Tobacco products are the products that are taxed highest around the globe whereas the objective is to contain society from this evil through containing their financial accessibility. Teens who do not have excessive finances for such wastage are more likely to stay away from smoking. Similarly availability of finances for treatment at post intervention of smoking can be examined the same way. If individual has accessibility to finances is more likely to get medical treatment otherwise it will end up badly. So, health system is highly affected by financial accessibility because timely accessibility may change the course of life. 3. Health Sector Change Agents Change agents are those factor or people who can help attaining the target but in order to initiate a program, one must know what the targets are. As mentioned earlier youth is the highly exposed lot to smoking among society while on the other hand since the program is based on to stop smoking, it also targets smokers too. Now, stop smoking program require immense financing and require efficient allocation of resources for greatest impact which imply that in limited resources the program must target every potential smoker who is influences and can be influenced by the smoking. Governments or health sectors do not have organisational capacities to reach out to every soul rather what they demand are the people who have been through such crisis or problems. Stop smoking program is an initiative of health sector but there are people who can benefit more and can be influential in this endeavour. These people are known as change agents who have the experience, who have the lesson to tell and who have examined the worst but recovered. So, identification of change agents is very important for addressing the social evil of smoking. Usually it is considered that smoking habits are triggered by the friend’s company while we completely ignore the fact that self-rationalization in teen is also there and why did he not stop knowing the causes of smoking. We are examining the manifest but the latent function may be media influence. Such ambiguous social behaviours require in depth understanding and knowledge of the problem (Newton, 2001). In this regard understanding of those influencing factor can provide change agents to enforce program positively. In case of smoking awareness through peers, friends, parents, media and tobacco companies who are the cause can be converted into agents of change. In another scenario agents of change can be individuals from the smoking group which program is actually targeting. Cigarette vendors in this case the perfect choice for change agents, they are part of the smoking process and know about the smoking patterns. Stop smoking program can educate these vendors of the causes and diseases who will deliver information along with sale. In this instance, program is trying to reach vendors and vendors are helpful improvement to occur. Smokers who have faced death and have come from surgery can be more influential for stopping smoking. Role of change agents in health system directly relates to the achievements. If change agents is strongly connected to the issue, it will have faster impact. Sometimes agents of change can be more influential by consistent reinforcement. If only parents are advocating children to avoid smoking might not be much of help but if friends are avoid, media is campaign negative enforcement, teachers are delivering information and vendors are restraining you being underage. The ultimate result of consistent reinforcement will be far greater than individual agent. For stop smoking program in health system, it is essential to know how to utilize the change agents. Change agents develop a strong bond with target and make themselves trustworthy which enables them to communicate and address the issue easily. Change agents understand the behaviours and responses of the smokers because they can easily put themselves into smokers shoe as they have already been through the situation they are examining in front of them and know exactly why they are behaving that way. Usually smoker believe that quitting smoking is not possible whereas change agents can convince them about alternate exits from the addition because they are the living reality of change (Egger & Kalb, 2010). Change agents provide moral and tangible support to change behaviours of smokers and get the job done. Another interesting fact about change agents is that they usually belong to local communities and provide long lasting support. Smokers often go back to their smoking habit after some period but it is change agent who maintains the change. Addicts require extended support for a longer period of time while health system project do not hold that long at a larger scale so, in such scenarios change agents do the trick efficiently. 4. Health Service Challenges Quitting smoking is not an easy target, there are numerous challenges attached in the process for both smokers and for the smoking cessation services to implement stop smoking programs. Stop smoking programs usually face the challenge of lack of awareness. It has been mentioned earlier that smoking is imagined as a desirable attitude while individuals are not clearly aware of the illness caused by cigarette. Smokers are exposed to high level of nicotine, carcinogens and carbon monoxide etc. which are very harmful for lungs and are addictive. Unawareness of illness may be limited to the new smokers but the active smokers who are addicts clearly know about the diseases because soon after their smoking habits, they start to realise the consequences. Among those consequences weight gain is the common determinant. When smokers start to realise consequences, they do not even bother to acquire help from preventive services (Krueger, 2007). This behaviour is also justified as most of the active smokers do not know about any such treatment. Some of the smokers who know about the treatment assume stop smoking services to be their enemy with perspective to take away ther pleasure from smokers. Another challenge posed to stop smoking programs is the societal setup in which smoking is either considered allowed or is considered to be the minor ill as compared with alcohol, cocaine and drugs etc. All efforts of stop smoking programs are only consumed at declaring smoking as an illness whereas it solution and prevention comes at later stages. Another challenge in this regard is the cultural acceptance of smoking. Efforts to contain smoking are usually outnumbered by the new smokers. In comparison to one treatment of a patient in one day, there will be hundred new smoker inhaling cigarette for the first time. Given such mountainous statistics how we can assume prevention from smoking. The most prominent challenge for smokers to quit smoking was named as the smoking enjoyment and the stress release they felt after having cigarette (Ayyagari & Sindelar, 2009). As discussed earlier most of individual with financial stress or unemployment start smoking to release pressure and is also confirmed by statistics as this challenge was faced by 21% individuals in a survey. Apart from enjoyment when smokers attempted to quit smoking face craving for smoking and in the process who could not maintain prevention came back strongly with more addiction than ever whereas such stats were reported at 16%. Similarly weight gains, medicine costs, peer pressure, disruption of relations and withdrawal symptoms also forced quitters to go back. Irrespective of the fact that smokers want to quit smoking but are bound by the challenges, psychological, social and resulting symptoms which again and again haunt quitters to start again which is why smoking is called an addiction (Gurung, 2006). 5. Solution to healthy community Healthy community can be ensured only if community development, economic development and environmental development is certified at once. Smoking is considered the minor evil among addictions but the ultimate fact is ignored that smoking is just the beginning. Here is the simple solution to attain the right formula, quit smoking. Smokers must keep an objective in mind that quitting is possible. Quitting smoking only takes seven steps of which the first is to get rid of all nicotine either they are cigarettes, cigars, patches or chew gums etc. Smokers should be determined to get rid of this addiction. It is highly likely that cravings, behavioural and psychological factors might get over you and you may go back to nicotine but the key to success is to stay determined and push craving. The second step is to consider smoking a hurtful and smelly habit and to avoid nicotine notion. This activity can be triggered by the use of a pencil to avoid the habit of holding a cigarette. On the other hand consideration of non-smoking campaign can also be supported with consistent reminders on daily basis. Reminders works as force that keep pushing you towards the target like starvation during fast. When an individual is having fast from eating, what keeps him away from eating is the reminder from people that month of Ramadan has started. Third step in the process is to find a suitable medication that fills the gap for smoking. Usually nicotine patches are a therapy which replace blood demand for nicotine through skin. Nicotine gum, nicotine sprays and inhalers are also referred for meeting up the need while alternatively consistent visits to doctor are also advised in this endeavour. Fifth step is to keep restraining yourself from smoke for the next week, when passed the next target should be a month and then years. Consistent restraining will ultimately take your attention and addiction away. Sixth step is to inform your friends and family members about your prevention patterns. Telling friends will keep your friend posted to not to smoke in front of you while it saves you from peer pressure from society which is the greatest hurdle in solution process. The last step in process of quitting cigarette is to forgive yourself if you slip off the routine and taste cigarette. When people mistakenly or out of craving take cigarette, they start to believe that I cannot do this or this is impossible (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009). That is the right time to control your nerve and start over because stamina in running is actually the time someone runs after his breath has fallen short. So, Stop smoking programs must assist smokers through this solution strategy and hopefully the result will follow and world will have a healthy community again. 6. Conclusion This paper provides analysis of social, economic and cultural aspects of stop smoking services in a health system. There have been emerging definitions and perspectives on health system over decades which have also been reported in this paper. Second section explored social, economic and cultural factors for smoking. It was proved that under social and cultural setup which promotes smoking plays vital role in extending this curse to children whereas some demographic attributes have also been explored which specified that its more of a luxury in the beginning but later on it become a liability and has unexpected cost to social health and economy. Change agents for stop smoking programs have a never ending impact on addicts and are very useful for addressing this social evil. No doubt, smoking addiction and its prevention comes with a cost and is a challenging issue otherwise it would not have been a curse. Stop smoking programs are strongly desired to have understanding of these challenges and solve the through define seven step smoke prevention process. Health care systems are designed for larger audiences with immense budgeting but inefficient resource allocation can take many innocent lives. So, intelligent usage of health system even in stop smoking programs is indispensable and has no room for error. References Ayyagari, P., & Sindelar, J. L. (2009). The impact of job stress on smoking and quitting: Evidence from the HRS. Cambridge: National Bureau of Economic Research. Brigham, J. (1998). Dying to quit: Why we smoke and how we stop. Washington, D.C: Joseph Henry Press. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2009). 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