Banning Smoking in Public Places - Annotated Bibliography Example

Associated Press. “Report: Ban Smoking in Public Places.” Addictions. MSNBC, 27 Jun. 2006. Web. 6 Apr. 2012. . This article was released in the website of news channel MSNBC and was intended for the public at large. The article examines the findings from the U.S. Surgeon General’s report and informs readers that banning smoking is a far better option than having separate smoking sections in public places. This is especially true considering the fact that children cannot escape their parent’s addition in search of cleaner air. The article also highlights other important findings like living with a smoker can increase one’s risk of lung cancer and heart disease by up to 30% and workplace smoking restrictions not only reduce second hand smoke but also discourage active smoking by employees. The associated press is a well established and reputed American news agency which is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations. They have been in this profession for over a decade. In this article, they have reported on the Surgeon General’s report on second hand smoking which is based on a comprehensive federal investigation. Hence their source of information is reliable and authentic. The article was able to underscore the need for states and cities to take an active role in implementing stricter measures to restrict smoking in public places. I was really impressed by the presentation of facts concerning the impact of second hand smoke on children who don’t have a voice when their parents choose to smoke around them. Although banning smoking in public places can have a limited impact in these children, the fact that they live in homes where there is no restriction on smoking underscores the need to address this issue at a much deeper level. I found this article in Google by searching for keywords ‘second hand smoke’ and ‘public places’ and looking for news articles. Geoghegan, Tom. “New York’s Outdoor Smoking Ban: Will the World Follow?” News Magazine. BBC, 23 May 2011. Web. 5 Apr. 2012. . This article was released on the electronic version of the BBC News Magazine. It was intended to encourage public discussion on the issue of banning smoking in public places. The first part of the article examines the ban on outdoor smoking in New York which covers public golf courses, sports grounds, beaches, municipal parks, Time Square and plazas like Herald Square. The latter part of the article examines the effect of such bans in countries like China and UK. The article also presents an unsure view of Martin Dockrell, who is the director of research and policy at the campaign group Action on Smoking and Health. The writer of this article is a news reporter and analyst. However care must be taken to ensure that the report is not biased by personal opinions or skewed data analysis. Since this article aims to initiate public debate on the subject of banning smoking in public places, I was hoping that it would include data from prominent opinion polls. However, this information was lacking and the writer focused primary on individual comments from a professor from Boston University, a Director of forest and a director of research and policy at the campaign group Action on Smoking and Health. However, the article was able to present both sides of the argument regarding banning smoking in public places. I found this article in Google by searching for keywords ‘second hand smoke’ and ‘public places’ and looking for news articles. I found this article in Google by searching for keywords ‘outdoor’ and ‘smoking ban’ and looking for news articles. Haustein, Knut-Olaf, and Groneberg, David. “Smoking Ban in Public Buildings and Public Spaces.” Tobacco or Health: Physiological and Social Damages Caused by Tobacco Smoking. Heidelberg: Springer Verlag, 2009. 403-404. Print. This book describes the history, epidemiology and constituents of tobacco in addition to its effect on the health of smokers and non smokers. It also discusses various treatments available to stop smoking. A section of the book deals with smoking in public buildings and spaces. This book is a good resource to learn more about implementing smoking bans and emphasizes the need to provide health education campaigns, dissemination of information and providing smoking cessation programs to smokers to support smoking bans. It highlights the importance of enforcing these legislations as it is the key to a successful smoking ban campaign. The founding author of this book, Knut-Olaf Haustein was a physician and social activist who fought against smoking in Germany. After the fall of the Berlin wall, Haustein was one of the first Germans to take an active part in the battle against tobacco in the united Germany. David Groneberg is a professor of medicine and the director of the institute of Occupational medicine in Germany. Therefore they are qualified to write on this subject. This book is an excellent resource on the subject and draws extensively from the practical experience of the authors. I found this book to be very informative as it lays down specific details of how to successfully implement a smoking ban. I think that this book is also a good resource for smoking related community based programs as it provides information on primary prevention measures and possible interventions which are based on evidence-based medicine. I found this article in Google by searching for keywords ‘smoking ban’ and ‘public places’ and looking for online books. Meyers, David G., Neuberger, John S., and He, Jianghua. “Cardiovascular Effect of Bans on Smoking in Public Places: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Journal of American College of Cardiology 54.14 (2009), 1249-1255. Science Direct. Web. 4 Apr. 2012. . This scholarly journal article was published in an electronic version of Science Direct. It was intended for scholars in the field of medicine. However, it would also be beneficial for professionals in the field of community health, public health and health advocacy groups. The article is a meta-analysis to determine the association between ban on public smoking and risk for hospital admission due to heart attacks. The authors examined various peer-reviewed and original articles from PubMed, EMBASE and Google Scholar. They found that smoking bans can reduce the number of heart attacks by nearly 26% every year, especially among young individuals and non smokers. The three authors of the article are cardiologists from the Kansas University School of Medicine. This qualifies them to write on this subject. Again, the resources that they used were from U.S., Canada and Europe giving a more or less global coverage on the subject. This article was written in 2009 and reviewed articles written between 2004 and 2009 and therefore gives a recent perspective on the issue of bans on smoking in public places. Although the authors found several weaknesses in terms of inconsistencies in case definitions, extent of second hand smoke exposures, and smoking prevalence data, I was impressed to learn that bans on public smoking can have a measurable impact on the society in terms of reduced rate of heart attacks. This article gave me a good understanding on how a review of articles is conducted and how the information can be compiled and presented. I found this article in Science Direct by searching for keywords ‘smoking ban’ and ‘public places’ and limiting to peer reviewed journals. Moore, David W. “Increased Support for Smoking Bans in Public Places.” The Gallup Poll: Public Opinion 2005. New York: Rowman & Littlefield, 2007. 269-270. Print. This book presents a collection of opinion polls on various subjects including smoking bans in public places. It was intended for the public at large to gain perspective of the current trends and opinions prevailing in the country. This particular section of the book underscores the increasing acceptance of the public on banning smoking in public places like restaurants, workplaces and hotels. The majority of the support is from the Republicans, frequent church goes and non smokers. However, the poll also reveals that there is a widespread opposition to a complete ban. This book is released by the Gallup Inc. which is a research based performance management consulting company that has made a name for itself. Gallup poll, a division of Gallup, is often referenced in the mass media as a reliable and objective audience measurement public opinion. The book compares the data from current opinion polls to data from the previous eighteen years. I was therefore able to understand the changes in opinion and trend of smoking bans over the years in the country. I also found it interesting that 31% of smokers support the ban on smoking in restaurants. This was up from 21% just two years ago. Therefore there has been a growing change in opinions over the years as people are beginning to understand the importance of ban on smoking. However, I feel that the sample size of 1006 people of which 216 were smokers and 790 were non smokers is too small to reflect a national opinion. I found this article in Google by searching for keywords ‘smoking ban’ and ‘public places’ and looking for online books. Read More