Prevalent Tobacco Product Use Among Adolescents Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example
Health Promotion Plan
A health promotion plan is a framework created to engage and empower individuals, populations, and communities to make wise health-based decisions and practices. Programs established under health promotion plans influence behavior and attitudes since these tenets are critical at reducing risks of developing chronic illnesses and other morbidities. According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), health promotion works to “promote healthy communities with access to nutritious foods, places to be physically active, and smoke-free public spaces” (CDC, 2020). This means that public health systems, populations, and communities can collaboratively design and implement health promotion plans in specific populations, such as tobacco use among adolescents. Nurses play critical roles in the implementation of health promotion and availing necessary resources. While nurses disseminate educator roles in health systems, this paper examines tobacco use, associated health concerns, the significance of health promotion plans for adolescents using tobacco, and establishing agreed-upon health goals in collaboration with adolescents.(Prevalent Tobacco Product Use Among Adolescents Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example)
Tobacco Use
Prevalent tobacco product use among adolescents has become pronounced over the years and remains the leading preventable cause of hospitalizations, re-admissions, and deaths globally. Everyday tobacco products include e-cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, hookah, heated tobacco, and pipe tobacco (NIDA, 2021). The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that if the youth continue smoking tobacco products at the current rate, the country stares at a pandemic that will see Americans aged 17 years or younger suffer smoke-related illness or succumb to subsequent effects (CDC, 2020). Tobacco product use statistics indicate worrying trends with the current generation of youths.(Prevalent Tobacco Product Use Among Adolescents Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example)
Tobacco use leads to nicotine dependence, and users struggle in later years to quit. Many of these users began smoking during adolescence, concentrated at adolescence, and worsened as an individual grows (NIDA, 2021). Although tobacco products are not appealing mainly to the youths, manufacturers have made significant efforts to appeal to target populations. Smoking begins as an experimental activity where adolescents try out drugs and unknowingly get used to them. CDC reported that nearly 9 out of 10 adults using tobacco products regularly first tried smoking by 18 years, most of these cases involving flavored tobacco products (CDC, 2021). Flavorings in drugs are the primary causal factor that draws many adolescents to drug use, a trend that goes all the way to adulthood.(Prevalent Tobacco Product Use Among Adolescents Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example)
Tobacco use trends among adolescents have spiked over the past few years; thus, it cannot be assumed because the effects are self-explanatory. As a result, we should strive to understand underlying factors compelling people to smoke and educate them on smoking cessation. Flavored tobacco products have similar effects to unflavored ones but are spiced to attract vulnerable populations of youths (NIDA, 2021). Nicotine dependency develops quickly and stimulates rapid brain activity, which according to most adolescents, increases attention and focus. This is a problem in the making since the effects are long-term.(Prevalent Tobacco Product Use Among Adolescents Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example)
The Adolescent Population
Adolescence is characterized by rapid physical and emotional developments and may interfere with decision-making. During this stage, the brain develops and simulates what the environment presents; for example, the need to experiment with drugs arises and interferes with emotional and cognitive functions. Smoking experimentation among the youth is a significant health concern for public health systems and society. Some of the factors associated with adolescent tobacco use include social and physical environments, mental health, lower socioeconomic status, lack of parental support, low academic performances, low self-esteem, and appealing tobacco advertising on TV, stores, or the internet (Ma et al., 2021). As a result, adolescents develop nicotine dependence perpetuating ongoing tobacco use into adulthood and may also contribute to other substance use disorders.(Prevalent Tobacco Product Use Among Adolescents Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example)
Adolescents operate and make decisions at individual capacities with little consideration for healthy living. Health disparities such as sex, age, education, race, socioeconomic status, disability, ethnicity, and geographical location influence adolescents’ decision-making, behaviors, and attitudes. Healthy People 2020 seek to eliminate disparities and improve the health of all, create social and physical environments that promote good health, and promote healthy behaviors, development, and quality of life (CDC, 2020). Therefore, adolescents should access health services centered on education and awareness programs for health promotion. Nursing practice should be at the forefront to advocate the harmful effects of nicotine and roll out education programs for adolescents to refrain from smoking tobacco products and other substances.(Prevalent Tobacco Product Use Among Adolescents Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example)
Health Goals
It is imperative to develop agreed-upon health goals in collaboration with high school students currently using tobacco to help in smoking cessation. The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention reports that youth tobacco users have thought of quitting tobacco use at least once or twice while others have tried (Ma et al., 2021). The health goals will be developed based on SMART objectives: specific, measurable, action-oriented, reasonable, and follows a timeline. Quitting tobacco use within two months is the specific goal and will be measured by keeping a journal. An action-oriented plan will be crafted such that a tobacco cessation program meets two to three times a week, curtail the urge to smoke by chewing gum, engaging in daily exercises, and avoiding being in the presence of smokers. The objective will be reasonable because group members will help each other maintain progress and realize the desired health outcomes. Lastly, two months will be the timeline benchmark, though the group will still adjust goals and plan accordingly. We anticipate the health promotion plan will be impactful as it provides unmatched education and training programs, encourages smoking cessation, and prevent future chronic illnesses.(Prevalent Tobacco Product Use Among Adolescents Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example)
Conclusion
To sum up, the critical goal of the health promotion plan is to influence high school adolescents on smoking cessation within two months. Founded on data presented by CDC and NIDA, the health promotion plan conceptualizes the belief that an action-oriented program, meeting three times a week to engage smoking adolescents and provide a supportive cessation environment would lead to smoking cessation with two months. The program’s benefits exceed smoking cessation to promoting better health behaviors and attitudes and facilitating the effective transition from adolescence to young adulthood.(Prevalent Tobacco Product Use Among Adolescents Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example)
References
CDC. (2020, December 14). Healthy people 2020. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(Prevalent Tobacco Product Use Among Adolescents Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example). https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/healthy_people/hp2020.htm
CDC. (2021, April 22). Youth and tobacco use. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(Prevalent Tobacco Product Use Among Adolescents Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example). https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/youth_data/tobacco_use/index.htm
Ma, C., Xi, B., Li, Z., Wu, H., Zhao, M., Liang, Y., & Bovet, P. (2021). Prevalence and trends in tobacco use among adolescents aged 13–15 years in 143 countries, 1999–2018: Findings from the global youth tobacco surveys. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 5(4), 245-255(Prevalent Tobacco Product Use Among Adolescents Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example). https://doi.org/10.1016/s2352-4642(20)30390-4
NIDA. (2021, April 12). How many adolescents use tobacco? National Institute on Drug Abuse(Prevalent Tobacco Product Use Among Adolescents Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example). https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/tobacco-nicotine-e-cigarettes/how-many-adolescents-use-tobacco