Tobacco-Related Social and Health Issues - Essay Example

Name Professor Institution Course Date Health promotion strategies Tobacco related social and health issues Introduction Health promotion stimulates peoples control over health determinants to improve their health. This rhymes the world health organization definition of 1986. This therefore calls for the expertise of a Health Promotion Officer. The health promotion officer advices people on improving and maintaining their health. Health is a paramount issue in every population. Due to improvement in the health sector, population increases. Diminished still births and infant death rate, and increased life expectancy are enabled by good health. Any given state is responsible for the health of its citizens. Therefore the responsibility to promote proper health lays on them. Preventable and curable infections lead in causing deaths in many populations (GREEN, J., & TONES, K, 2010). According to statistics obesity and tobacco cause most deaths in Australia. Public health promotion is necessary because it becomes a national matter. Health promotion also aims at changing other aspects to create an enabling environment to implement individual changes. Social political and economic changes are also required for complete change in health. In Australia, a health promotion association deals with the matter (CATTAN, M., & TILFORD, S, 2006). They require strategies to enable them implement their solutions and plans. Through the strategy, the association accomplishes major requirements of health promotion including: Creation of enabling environments Alleviating health imbalance Lobbying for community action Establishing healthy public policies Building personal skills Strategies used in health promotion include the media, public health education, community engagement strategy, social marketing, advocacy, community development, lobbying strategies and environmental strategies. All this strategies and aims are contained in the Ottawa charter of the world health organization. The chosen strategy needs to fulfill the need for better health through health promotion. The strategy reaches out to as many as it can and draws their attention to health. Tobacco related social and health issues In the Victorian state in Australia remains the most affected by tobacco related illnesses. Due to health promotion a significant drop in the effects is noted.90 weekly deaths caused by tobacco infections were witnessed. This totaled to 4,750 deaths in the year 1998 (LUNDY, K. S., & JANES, S, 2009). Deaths by other causes totaled to 1508 making tobacco related disease to be the most preventable cause of death. A third of Australian children are exposed to environmental tobacco smoke. This is due to one parent smoker or both. Many more non-smokers are affected by environmental smoke. Tobacco related disease include cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, and chronic pulmonary disease. A society affected by tobacco requires efficient strategies to overcome the effect on their population. Otherwise, many resources go into treatment of preventable diseases. Cigarette smoking is one of many drug abusive methods. Research shows however that no other drug kills more that the tobacco in cigarettes. The effectiveness of health promotion relies on the information on which it is based. Trends, social and economic patterns need to be established in order to select an efficient health promotion strategy (LUDOVICI-CONNOLLY, A. M, 2010). Tobacco causes most of the major health hazards according to statistics. Cancer, major respiratory illnesses and circulatory diseases are attributable to tobacco smoking. These constitute a percentage of the many risks a smoker puts themselves in. dental disease, mouth, eye and bowel disease and reproductive diseases also affect smokers. Most of this statistics hail from statistical local area levels. Research on the ground level provides everyone with adequate information to find solutions for local people. Tobacco costs the state economic man power and high resources on health. Research shows men smoke more than women in Australia. There exist a 21 percent of daily smokers, while 47 percent are occasional smokers (LEWIS, M. J, 2003). A two percentage, smokes at most once a day. In a group of four adults one is a smoker bringing the percentage of smokers in Australia to twenty three percent. Daily eighteen percent of Australian smokers put themselves at risk. Of these, six percent of men and ten percent of women are in danger of tobacco related illnesses. Research shows that house owning individuals smoke less compared to house renting individuals. Employed individuals also smoke less in comparison to unemployed individuals. Estimates reveal that on average Australian households spend fifty dollars or more on tobacco weekly. Both male and female groups indicate smoking between the ages of eighteen and thirty five. The rate of smoking slows down and reduces as age increases. Attempts have been made to establish the tangible loss caused by tobacco in Australia. The social losses are unbelievable and inevitable considering smoking is yet to stop (GREEN, J., & TONES, K, 2010). Due to the increase in the number of infected people, the government increases the financial support to the health care sector. This money could be used for other development purposes. Some health officers are constantly absent or die due to tobacco related diseases. This complicates matters because shortage of health professionals spells disaster for the health sector. Extra cost for those left to work longer and harder has to be met. The infected people also skip work hence delaying other sectors of the economy. This cost the economy its limited resources.A health promotion strategy requires the efficiency to appeal to smokers to quit and encourage people not to take up the habit. Sometimes it becomes impossible for one strategy to work efficiently. However in conjunction with a side strategy numerous results are seen. The strategies of campaigns implemented in different states worked on tobacco. A decline in the number of smokers is evident within the past few years. This decline indicates more emphasis should be put on discouraging young people to start smoking. In recent years the youth has been on social media. Most teenagers and young adults use their time on social networks like Face book and twitter. This is the best chance to reach out to the highest number of youthful population. Both youth from the rural and urban centers take interest in the social networks. People are more health conscious in this century than any other in the past. Obesity is a real threat and poses more health hazards like diabetes and cardiovascular disease. People are concern about the food they eat and their lifestyle. The internet is a sure source of information lately. Therefore most people will Google information to find the risks of smoking. The internet contributed to the Arab countries revolutions in countries like Egypt, Libya and Yemen. This demonstrates the power of social media. By posting information on the health hazards caused by tobacco on the internet, the information reaches numerous people. Interactive blogs should be introduced to encourage the youth to discuss their views on tobacco smoking. People of a similar age influence each other greatly (LUDOVICI-CONNOLLY, A. M, 2010). As the saying goes, birds of the same feather lock together. Therefore, teenagers will influence each other to smoke or not to smoke. The social media strategy ensures the youth understand the social, economic and health risks of smoking. Sometimes a personal change is required. The social media page should also encourage sharing of stories. Stories of People who have succumbed to the effects of tobacco should be told on these pages. Testimonies of people who have quit smoking should be posted. These testimonies should aim at discouraging the idea of smoking. The advertisement of cigarettes and other tobacco substances should be reduced both on television, radio, newspaper and any other social media. A cake cannot be had and eaten. Therefore despite the income provided by the tobacco industry, tobacco brings more harm than good. The income earned from the tobacco may not be enough to contribute to health solutions (LUNDY, K. S., & JANES, S, 2009). The advertisement of cigarettes therefore should be minimized. An individual loves their health and therefore feels the need to avoid substances harmful to his health. If smoking is discouraged and portrayed as a health hazard in opposition to a luxurious and elegant activity, it falls from glory and fashion. The youth will replace smoking with better activities that do not harm their health. In regards to Baum, F. (2008).Smokers are challenging to handle, they may be too addicted to smoking and find difficulties in stopping. Old smokers may be hard to reach through social media. However most are advised and helped in the adult homes they stay. Most adults between thirty and forty are reachable via social media. The most important part of health promotion for them is to help them understand and fear the risks facing them. They probably have information on the risks but it is worth reminding them. Human beings have a tendency of thinking that misfortunes happen to others and not them. This creates a situation where evidence is required to prove the risk they are in. after research regarding tobacco effects information should be put on the net. The percentage of deaths caused by tobacco related illnesses should be evidence enough of the risk they run. This information also ensures policymakers make laws discouraging smoking. By learning this information, most smokers want to quit for a longer age and better health. Tips on how to stop smoking habits should be posted on the net. This will help smokers; especially occasional smokers to stop (GREEN, J., & TONES, K, 2010).Testimonies of those that quit smoking should also be on the net. This will encourage smokers to quit knowing that others have done it. They will be encouraged to know that it is a possible achievement. Conclusion In conclusion, the applicability and strategy of using social network as a health promotion strategy is possible. Social networks link many people worldwide. Information is power and there is no faster and efficient way to pass it rather than the internet. When a reformed smoker posts their story on YouTube or twitter, the story touches the hearts of many. It inspires smokers to stop and discourages young people to smoke. Through social media, political, economic and social issues are changed. Health promotion through social media is possible. . Reference Baum, F. (2008) The New Public Health, 3rd Edition. Melbourne: Oxford University Press BOROWSKI, A., ENCEL, S., & OZANNE, E. (2007). Longevity and social change in Australia. Sydney, UNSW Press. GREEN, J., & TONES, K. (2010). Health promotion: planning and strategies. Los Angeles [etc.], SAGE CATTAN, M., & TILFORD, S. (2006). Mental health promotion: a lifespan approach. Maidenhead, England, McGraw Hill/Open University Press. LUDOVICI-CONNOLLY, A. M. (2010). Winning health promotion strategies. Champaign, IL, Human Kinetics. LUCAS, K., & LLOYD, B. B. (2005). Health promotion: evidence and experience. London, SAGE. MURRAY, R. B., ZENTNER, J. P., & YAKIMO, R. (2009). 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