Overcoming Smoking Problems Among the Youth - Research Paper Example

Running Head: OVERCOMING SMOKING PROBLEMS Overcoming Smoking Problems Among the Youth The US Department of Health and Human Services Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention stated that in 2009, 17.2 percent of high school students are cigarette smokers. In addition, approximately 3,450 young people initiate smoking between 12 and 17 years old, and around 850 become daily cigarette smokers (“Youth and Tobacco Use,” 2011). These data should be enough to raise alarm for parents and other youth institutions to act against smoking as a maladaptive behavior among the youth. Parents may try their best to prohibit smoking among their children; however, efforts at home may not be enough to guide the youth towards the right path. Therefore, other institutions should take part in the initiative to campaign against smoking. This paper is aimed to address the problem of smoking among the youth. First, it describes the maladaptive behavior and its detrimental effects to the youth. Second, it identifies the factors that lead to the development of the behavior, and explain the role of parents and society in getting rid of this maladaptive behavior. Third, the study also determines the role of other institutions such as marketers in minimizing, eradicating or correcting the maladaptive behavior. Smoking can be considered a maladaptive behavior because those who smoke consider the habit as a way to rid of stress. However, smoking can actually cause even more problems especially physical illness. Cigarette smoking has been found to have many negative effects that could endanger lives of smokers and non-smokers alike. In particular, long-term smoking can cause different diseases in the lungs, oral cavity, and the throat. In addition, it is also associated with certain cancers especially of the lung and the heart, and even of the breast (Chaudhuri et al., 2006). Other negative effects include allergies, peptic ulcer, stroke, asthma, and other serious illnesses. Moreover, a study conducted by researchers at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center found out the possible role of nicotine from cigarettes in breast cancer development and metastases (“Study Suggests a Possible Role for Nicotine in Breast Tumor Development and Metastases,” 2008) Informing children of the possible risks of smoking is not enough to make them realize the negative effects of smoking. The parents serve as the main motivators to make children avoid the habit. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) suggests the importance of being involved in children’s affairs. By knowing their children’s friends, school activities, and performance, parents can do a lot to save their children from smoking (“Teen Smoking: How Parents Can Prevent It,” 2002). Jackson and Dickinson (2006) claim that parents who smoke can still prevent their children from smoking by emphasizing the negative effects of smoking and prohibiting smoking at home. In his article, Riordan (2008) expresses the belief that good parenting is not enough to resolve the issue. Parents should do other efforts such as supporting campaigns against tobacco use, explaining to their children how advertisements on smoking can manipulate and seduce young minds towards smoking, and making sure schools are tobacco-free. Although these efforts do not guarantee total elimination of the smoking habit, they offer initiatives to help the youth prevent smoking. Considering the health risks brought about by smoking, the school should do its part to strengthen ban on smoking, and help promote a clean and healthy lifestyle among the youth. Given the statistics mentioned above, schools’ current efforts to prevent smoking among students may not be enough at present. Stricter rules or more creative programs should be implemented to ensure that the youth will not be lured to even try smoking. One of the ways to promote a healthy lifestyle and prevention of smoking is to integrate these ideas in the everyday lesson. Teachers should make it a point to remind students of the value of life and health, and tell them the negative effects of smoking. In particular, literary pieces tackled in the classroom should include stories or poems that promote the prevention of smoking. Moreover, the classroom’s bulletin board should bear information that heightens awareness of the negative effects of smoking. Also, students should be made to express their willingness and efforts to avoid smoking and other vices in the future. Doing this could likewise serve as a strategy to make them responsible for the decisions they make in life. The teachers play an important role in the students’ prevention of smoking. In order to inculcate the value for health among students, they themselves should avoid smoking or if not, the least thing that smoking teachers could do is to avoid being seen smoking by their students. The same is true with other school officials. As the law states, smoking is prohibited in public areas such as the school. Therefore, no one, not even the school director or principal should smoke while inside the school premises. Aside from schools, the government is another important institution to act against smoking. Although laws are being implemented, statistics show an alarm that the government should heighten its prevention programs regarding smoking. Governments should enforce the laws with extra effort, and make sure that rules are strictly followed by the society for the benefit of the commons good. Cigarettes contain substances that are harmful to the body. As people smoke, these substances are partly taken into the system, and cause the body to react or develop certain diseases. In this consideration, authorities should implement stricter rules on the production of cigarettes. It should investigate cigarette contents and limit those which are clearly identified to cause serious harm to the body. For instance, nicotine and tar delivery may be modified by the type of paper being used cover the cigar (“Smoking: Cigarette Contents,” 2008). The authors claim that the cigarette paper should be more porous so that it can let more air into the cigarette. This will dilute the smoke and possibly reduce the amount of tar and nicotine reaching the smoker's lungs. Despite the hazards brought by smoking, many people still get into the habit. Considering the negative effects, it is only right to ban smoking especially among young people, in order to ensure a healthy population. The government should act upon it to solve the problem before it is too late. Fortunately, state laws have been enacted to support prohibition of cigarette or any tobacco products within school premises. The Department of Health and Human Services CDC Web site provides a complete list of state laws concerning smoking (“Smoking and Tobacco Use,” 2008). On the part of schoolchildren, the laws generally require school officials to implement the ban on smoking in schools and day care centers. Unfortunately, not all state laws express exactly the punishment for law breakers but state laws in California clearly state that possession of nicotine or use of any product with tobacco may lead to suspension or expulsion from the school. This example should serve as guide to other states. Moreover, the government implements ban on smoking in areas other than the school. These rules include posting signs/posters that show banning of cigarettes or prohibition to sell to minors. Laws in Washington, California, and Illinois agree that minors should not be allowed to purchase any tobacco product, and such imposes a fine of at least USD 75 to 100 (ibid.). Marketers and product manufacturers should likewise be responsible for the present problem. Cigarette companies must be aware of the maladaptive behavior that the youth engages in, and they should not be happy about it. Rather, they should feel responsible for the problem and not just be concerned with profit or the growth of their business. This feeling of responsibility or conscience is also known as corporate social responsibility (CSR). According to Kotler and Lee (2005), CSR is “a commitment to improve community well-being through discretionary business practices and contributions of corporate resources” (p.3). Following this, cigarette manufacturers should be held responsible for the maladaptive behavior of smoking among young people. Simply putting the tagline, “Cigarette smoking is dangerous to your health” is not enough to demonstrate CSR. Cigarette manufacturers should exert some efforts to lessen or eradicate the problem. As part of their CSR, manufacturers should openly discourage the youth from smoking. They should design some advertisements that would make the youth realize the dangers of smoking. Effective advertisements may include billboards showing the diseases caused by regular or habitual smoking. Figure 1 illustrates a good example. Figure 1. Suggestive illustration of the possible effects of smoking. This figure illustrates that smoking can lead to death. The burned finger suggests burning the organs of the body when smoking. Suggestive images similar to what is shown in Figure 1 could be more effective instead of the usual “no smoking” sign in controlling the problem of smoking among young people. In addition, the public should be aware that cigarette smoking could lead to other health risk behaviors including higher risk sexual behavior and alcohol or drug addiction. These and other negative effects of smoking should be incorporated in all television programs for kids, as well as primetime TV programs. For instance, “Secret Life” and “Glee,” which are very popular among teenagers should devote an episode or two on tackling smoking and its adverse effects. The challenge is that if cigarette manufacturers could hire promoters for their products, they should likewise hire young models to discourage the young generation from smoking. Furthermore, Internet search pages may be used as a venue to promote prevention of smoking. As a child searches for answers to research/assignment questions, pop outs containing smoking bans can be projected onscreen so as to remind children on the negative consequences that smoking could cause. Efforts to fight rampant smoking among the youth should be done immediately. In order to succeed, all units of society such as the family, school and local government units should work hand in hand to reduce or eradicate the case of smoking among the youth. Basically, young people need role models who would teach them by example that embracing a healthy lifestyle is better than acquiring vices. In addition, the local government should be strict in implementing the smoking ban for the youth and in imposing fines to law offenders. Furthermore, manufacturers should play a special role in discouraging the youth from smoking. Anti-smoking advertisements coming especially from them would be more appealing to the public. Concerted efforts of the whole community, especially those who have contact with the youth such as schools, Web sites, and TV programs would hopefully eradicate the pressing problem. References Chaudhuri, R., Livingston, E., McMahon, A., Lafferty, J., Fraser, I., Spears, M., McSharry, C. & Thomson, N. (2006). Effects of smoking cessation on lung function and airway inflammation in smokers with asthma. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Vol. 174, pp. 127-133. Jackson, C. & Dickinson, D. (2006). Enabling parents who smoke to prevent their children from initiating smoking: Results from a three-year intervention evaluation. Arch Pediatric Adolescent Medicine, 160, pp. 56–62. Kotler, P. & Lee, N. (2005). Corporate responsibility: Doing the most good for your company. NJ: John Wiley and Sons. Riordan, Meg. (2008). Campaign for tobacco-free kids. Retrieved from http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/research/factsheets/pdf/0152.pdf Preventing tobacco use among young people: A report of the surgeon general. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/sgr/sgr_1994/index.htm Smoking and tobacco use. (2008). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/health_effects/index.htm Smoking: Cigarette contents. (2008). Retrieved from http://www.50plushealth.co.uk/index.cfm?articleid=922&ArticleAction=print Study suggests a possible role for nicotine in breast tumor development and metastases. (2008). Retrieved from http://www.bidmc.harvard.edu/News/InResearch/2008/October/StudyLinksNicotinewithBreastCancer.aspx Teen smoking: How parents can prevent it. (2002). Retrieved from http://parenting.ivillage.com/teen/tbehavior/0,,npmw,00.html Figure Conorux. (n.d.). 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