The Effects Of A Body Image Exposure Session On Smoking

Women have been targeted by cigarette ads through things like losing weight, being independent, and having fun. More women are smoking than ever before because there is a societal need for women to be thin in order to be perceived as beautiful and/or wanted. As far as unique concerns for women smokers, the textbooks states that women who smoke will have more wrinkles than nonsmoking women, and that “lung cancer has surpassed breast cancer as the leading cause of cancer deaths among women” (p.386).

Tobacco use is a major threat to public health. Lung cancer and heart disease are the major causes of mortality and morbidity among smokers. In addition to that, second hand and even third hand exposure to tobacco smoke represents a risk of cardiovascular disease developments. With the increased awareness of these risks, a trend towards smoking cessation started years ago. As part of this alteration electronic cigarettes were initially introduced to the U.S market in 2006 as a healthier alternative to conventional tobacco cigarettes, and as a smoking cessation aid. Since their introduction to the market, e-cigarettes had widespread success among smokers, non-smokers, pregnant females and even youth, their sales increased by 1437% since 2008.

Researchers and doctors all over the world constantly discuss smoking problems. There is an incredible amount of information offered to people who fight the desire to light a cigarette, on a daily basis. But, as any drug, smoking is difficult to be forgotten, even with all the issues it brings.

Smoking adversely affects almost every organ in the smoker’s body (CDC, 2014). The harm does not stop there: The damaging effects of smoking go beyond the smoker. Being exposed to secondhand smoke can cause severe health problems and even death. (NIDA, 2015). It can be difficult for a smoker to quit smoking because of the addictive properties contained in Nicotine. Just like with many other addictive drugs, when a smoker tries to quit, there is a period of withdrawal causing symptoms such as irritability, nervousness, sadness, insomnia and a greater appetite. There are many forms of assistance available to smokers in order to help modify their harmful behavior. With the assistance of a counselor, medications, or other available self-help tools, smokers can learn how to develop coping strategies when faced with a nicotine

With many decades worth of health data now available, it has never been clearer that smoking is one of the most dangerous habits a person can engage in. It is no wonder, then, that so many smokers are committed to quitting and improving their health.

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

The study of body image is a broad topic that touches many subjects including gender. However, the study of body image has been focused mainly on females. This is because the physical shape and image of male bodies have not changed over the history. From the ancient Greek until the modern era, the masculinity is the predominant stereotype for men. Masculine traits include courage, independence and assertiveness (Judith, 2001; Murray, 2000). In contrast to the male body, the female figures have been varied over time and across culture. In the modern era, the thin shaped figure is the ultimate desire of most women because it reflects the beauty and attractiveness of women according to our modern culture (Thompson et al, 1999; Thompson and Stice, 2001). Therefore, failing to meet the societal expectations of being muscular male or thin female may lead to a separation between virtual and actual social identity.

Several times during the week, after having a very stressful day, I would sit outside my residence at night and light a cigarette. Usually, a friend or two would join me and we would talk about how our day has been. This, in the short term seemed to me like a helpful strategy to release stress by blowing smoke, as it seemed to me that I’m blowing stress out of my mind. Sometimes, my friends would suggest helpful ways to cope with stress. In the long term, smoking and second-hand smoke from cigarettes contributed to headaches as nicotine stimulates the blood vessels in the brain to constrict. In the long term, I experienced breathing problems which made me feel uncomfortable. (Strategy 1)

Media has developed to become omnipresent in the day to day lives of the westernized societies. The media is considered a gigantic umbrella that houses a plethora of different outlets underneath it such as television, music videos, magazines, commercials, video games and social media. In this paper, the effects of media and various media types are examined to understand their potential outcomes. Focusing on how and if media affects body image in girls and women, the themes of dieting awareness, thin-ideal internalization, body dissatisfaction and behaviours are a few of the themes that reoccurred throughout various recent journal articles. Since the media is an ever-growing presence, it potentially has negative effects not only on our

There is an overwhelming epidemic in the United States that some take for granted, with every puff of a cigarette or chew a person puts in their body they are condemning themselves slowly, but surely. The relation between tobacco use and cancer related diseases has been not only been proven by science, but there are even countless warning labels on the actual products with the hope of changing the individual’s mind when and before consuming the product. People pick up these dirty habits in the early stages of their lives, blaming stress or peer pressure as its influence. Regardless if an individual chooses to smoke or use smokeless tobacco products, the effects of both products are both detrimental to one’s health and longevity.

Approximately 20% of our youth today lives with a family member who smokes. It is estimated that almost half of the U.S. population experiences secondhand smoke every day through the environment they encounter. Many research studies support the notion that cigarette use and secondhand exposure link to health side effects. Cigarette smoke has been especially found to be detrimental to an individual’s cardiovascular and metabolic health. New findings however, show that exposure to cigarette smoke can correlate to weight gain, especially in children. In fact, exposure to secondhand smoke alone has been linked to higher weight gain than the actual habit of smoking.

Smoking is the largest preventable cause of death in the world, accounting for at least six million deaths a year across the globe, according to the World Health Organization. Smoke is an option, the person chooses to smoke, sometimes being aware about the several consequences this bad habit brings, but also there are people that start smoking without theses knowledge. And it makes cigarettes even more worst because after you start, knowing or not the consequences, it is hard to quit this habit because of the addicted substances presents in the product, such as nicotine. The prolonged use of this product has several consequences for the human body, such as impotence in men, problems during pregnancy for women, and increases the chance of developing

Researchers have proved that men are more likely to smoke than women, because of the societal perception that women must not smoke, as it does not incline with their gender roles of femininity. However, over the years, men have been quitting smoking while a greater number of females have started smoking. Men smoke to deal with their work pressure and anxiety and do not want to show their weakness while women are more emotional and concerned about their body and health therefore refrain from smoking. Generation changes and changes in the gender role over the years has led to reduction in the smoking behavior of men because they adopt the positive female characteristics and remind themselves of the dangers of tobacco while women have started smoking more as an attempt to be emotionally strong and dominant (Priska Flandorfer, 2010).

(Gonseth, S., Jacot-Sadowski, I., Diethelm, P. A., Barras, V., & Cornuz, J., 2012) also adds that some tobacco companies include extra appetite suppressants substance into their cigarettes. Although smoking raises causes high blood cholesterol, but people will only selectively focus on the appetite suppressing function smoking brings. Thus, people will be drawn to the fact that smoking can help them to “control” weight, rather than the health issues that could arise from

Body image may be viewed as the way people see themselves and even imagine how they make look based off how they may feel about themselves. Yet it could also be viewed as the way other people see you. Body image, in medicine and psychology refers to a person 's emotional attitudes, beliefs and views of their own body (Positive and Negative Body Image). According to Positive and Negative Body Image, a negative body image develops when a person feels his or her body does not amount up to family, social, or media standards. Many people feel as if they don’t measure up to the belief of others. People who have accepted the way they look often feel good about their image and would be considered to have a positive body image. One’s appearance may not be measure up to how their family expects it to be or how it is perceived to be in the media, but once people learn accept and be proud of the way they look they’ll be better off in the long run. When a person is measured against the standards of the beauty seen frequently in the media and it doesn’t compare to how they feel about themselves it become discouraging. Having said that, long-lasting negative body image can affect both your mental and physical health which could lead to eating disorders down the road.