Social Context and Tobacco use

In the United States, smoking cigarettes is the number one preventable cause of morbidity and death (Bergen, 1999), and accounts for $300 Billion in health care costs and economic productivity loss (Jamal, 2015). While the national smoking rate is 16.8% (CDC, 2016), specific demographics are more susceptible to developing smoking habits: people who live below the poverty line (10.9% higher), disabled or with a limitation (6.2% higher), and males (4.7% higher) (Agaku, 2014).

This essay is aimed to explore, analyse and discuss smoking in adults. Smoking is a public health issue as such is one of the major contributors to high mortality and ill-health in the adults which is preventable (Health and Excellence Care (NICE) (2012). The United Kingdom (UK) is known to have the highest number of people with a history of smoking among people with low socio-economic status (Scriven and Garman, 2006; Goddard and Green, 2005). Smoking is considered a serious epidemic in the UK and the National institute for Health and Excellence Care (NICE, 2012) stated that 28% of adults with low economic status are tobacco smokers compared with 13% of those with economic status or having professional

Many drugs are used, misused, and abused in American society today. Some of these carry stigma in the general population, forcing users into an underground drug subculture. Others are accepted and almost promoted under certain circumstances. Tobacco is one of those drugs. Tobacco will be discussed in the context of cigarette smoking. This is not to undermine the existence or danger of other forms of tobacco, but instead to have an exhaustive discussion of cigarette smoking and its societal impact. Cigarettes are a means of inhaling tobacco, where it enters the lungs and is absorbed through the blood vessels, traveling to the heart, from which it is finally pumped to the brain (Hogan, Gabrielsen, Luna, and Grothaus 2003:76). Cigarettes are detrimental to society because they not only affect the user who chooses to smoke; they impact people around them through second-hand and residual smoke. The damage done by cigarettes is not impossible to address. Successful prevention measures are already in place, but this paper intends to suggest other more direct measures, especially related to statutory regulations.

This essay will answer this question by featuring an exploration of the motivational psychological and sociological influences on the perpetuation, maintenance and cessation of smoking, primarily focusing on the application of the Health Belief Model (HBM) to smoking, briefly discussing the roles personality and self-efficacy play in influencing individuals’ attitudes towards smoking. The sociological aspect of this essay will examine how social factors impact individuals’ smoking behaviour, emphasising the role of gender, with reference to the Social–Learning Theory (SLT).

Social factors associated with higher rates of smoking include low SES being unemployed, homeless, mentally ill, those who are incarcerated, and single parents. (see Bryant at end). Perhaps the strongest associations are between low SES and higher rates of tobacco use. Sadly, those with low SES not only are more likely to smoke, but evidence shows they are less likely to quit successfully.

The table that was chosen from Health United States, 2014 report, was on the following determinant of health: “Current cigarette smoking among adults age 18 and over, by sex (female), race and age; United States, selected years 1965-2013”; this table (below) was listed as table 52 on the report, found on page 182. Using the data from the selected table, a specific health problem that should be the focus of one research subject in public health is cigarette smoking. Cigarette smoking is a specific health problem because the table, shows the trend of cigarette smoking (with some variation), on the decline for all categories for females (race and age) as years progress. The problem of cigarette smoking still needs to be addressed

illegal. We must also consider the thousands of employees who will be left unemployed if such a

Tobacco use is still very frequent, especially in low-income areas. Not only is it detrimental for the smokers themselves in terms of health, but also it harms those around them. Some health issues that occur are “lung cancer, heart disease, and colon cancer” (Haskins). For low income areas, smoking is one of the most leading causes of death, but it is a preventable cause. In order to help smokers to quit smoking, Haskin states that one suggestion is to raise the prices of tobacco and cigarettes, and another suggestion, especially for nonsmokers, is to have designated areas for smokers only and to have cities label certain public areas such as parks and common areas to be smoke-free zones. Because tobacco is addictive, receiving and seeking

The evaluated sociodemographics were sex (male, female), race/ethnicity (non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic dark, Hispanic, and other), and age (9-14, 15-16, >/= 17y) (Persoskie, Donaldson, & King, 2016). The National Youth Tobacco Survey data was from the US middle and high school students who did pencil-and-paper, school-based, cross-sectional, and self-administered

Special Populations. Spencer et al. (2002) compared special populations to the general community populations regarding tobacco use and how TTM and its constructs apply. It was found that the following differences: gender, age, race, pregnancy, and income level stipulated varied results suggesting that although TTM and its constructs applied to them and the general population, there must be interventions personalized to each segment of the special population, as there were a few differences based on demographic variances.

One culture behavior that was acceptable years ago but now it is deviant is smoking. In the past, everyone would smoke everywhere. I have personally heard stories from elderly where they would smoke when they were only children. In the past, it was acceptable to smoke but now it is forbidden to smoke in enclosed areas and includes an age limit. This change has occurred because humans have evolved into becoming more knowledgeable. In the past, they did not know how badly smoking affects the body. Today, people know the risk that smoking brings and the news is spread world wide.

Your biopsychosocial model was really nice. I found it very insightful. This model shows us how biophysical, psychological and social factors are interconnected to each other and have high impact on smoking in adolescences. I do agree with you that socioeconomic status play a vital role on smoking. The strength of the relationship between socioeconomic status and smoking is very evident. And a gradient still exist between SES and health, when looking just at nonsmokers or just at smokers.1 Prevention strategies to prevent smoking in adolescent should be focus on primary prevention. Because most smokers pick up the habit, while still in their teens.1 So, it is important to focus of primary prevention is to reduce initiation of tobacco use

2005): Beliefs and social norms about smoking onset and addictions among urban adolescent cigarette smokers. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, Retrieved from: http://search.proquest.com/pqcentral/docview/207972659/825982C301434B80PQ/18?accountid=34574

To illustrate, several studies have identified social controls whose absence has caused adolescents to experiment and initiate in tobacco use. Starting at home, the influence of parental attitude and behavior toward adolescent smoking has a major impact on adolescent smoking. Newman and Ward (1989) sampled 735 students from 12 schools in and around one moderately sized Midwestern city, 18.5% of the sample were smokers. In this study, Newman & Ward asked the students questions via a questionnaire in order to rate the parental attitudes. One question asked was, "With regards to my smoking cigarettes, my parents/guardian would: threaten to punish me if I smoked; haven't told me how they feel if I smoke? ; have told me they don't care if I smoke" (Newman and Ward, 1989, p. 150). Two-thirds of the students reported that both parents would be upset if they smoked. An interesting note was that about two-thirds of the nonsmoking adolescents reported parental disapproval versus one-half of the smoking adolescents. The analysis of the data revealed that when neither parent smoked and

Before the commencement of this study, the researcher will seek the approval of Northcentral University’s Institutional Review Board to conduct the study. After the approval, sampling process will begin. Quota non-probability purposive sampling technique (Trochim et al., 2016) will be used for this study. The purposive sampling is more appropriate for the qualitative case study than random sampling (Carson et al., 2001). Researcher will recruit participants who have experienced the social phenomenon she will investigate, the negative influence of S/R on tobacco. Personalization will be employed in recruiting participants. Fan and Yan (2010) suggested personalization during research procedure could double the rate of response. Puckett et al. (2015) used mail, telephone and web based methods for their survey on tobacco smoking, and recorded less than 50% response rate. I will contact the leadership of a protestant/evangelical church for permission to interview five of the members for the study. I will also personally contact some prospective participants whom