Cigarette smoking is a widespread issue that is very prevalent in the U.S and is the leading cause of preventable death. Smoking has been proved to cause cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, yet Americans continue to partake ignoring the consequences1. The transtheoretical model can be applied to understand the underlying causes and suggests possible solutions by evaluating the issue at different stages such as pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance.
At the precontemplation stage the individual doesn’t recognize or care about the consequences that may be associated. At this stage people can be enticed to keep their smoking habits by peer pressure and industry which needs to be ignored. In 2015, the industry spent $8.9 billion on advertising and promoting cigarettes and tobacco in 20151. These contributors are very good at hiding the negative outcomes that
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In 2015, 68 percent of adult smokers wanted to stop smoking1. There has been a countless scientific studies in recent years which has proved that smoking has negative health impacts Smoking movements and campaigns are great jump starts to end smoking by creating this contemplation.
In the preparation stage, users will create short-term and long-term paths and plans to make these changes in their life. One of the best ways to avoid smoking is to learn what triggers the users mind in to smoking (people, places, activities) 2. Creating a personalized plan will help avoid these triggers and make it easier and help the individual to stay committed and motivated.
During the action stage, the user will actually carry out and execute the plan that was prepared with new habits. In 2015, 55% of adult smokers had made an attempt to quit smoking.1 This involves the actual action of denying the cigarette and making an attempt to stop
The Smoke Free campaign also uses the stages of change model. When an individual is trying to quit smoking they will go through the stages of change cycle. At the stage of pre-contemplation the individual who smokes does not have intention to change their behaviour, they may not be aware or not aware enough of the damage that smoking can cause to their body and their smoking problem. At the stage of contemplation the individual may start becoming aware that they have a problem with their smoking and they are seriously considering stopping smoking but they have not yet made commitment to do something about trying to quit smoking. At the preparation stage they are intending to do something about trying to stop smoking very soon, but they have not done anything yet. At the action stage the individual makes changes to their behaviour, so that they can overcome their smoking problem, for example completely stopping smoking, gradually cutting down on smoking, using nicotine replacement therapies such as nicotine patches, nicotine gum, inhalators etc. At the maintenance stage the individual will work to
According to “The Action of Smoking and Health,” every six seconds someone loses their life as a result of a tobacco related disease. It’s hard to realize how damaging cigarette smoking’s effect can be until you experience it first hand. It is almost certain that every one knows someone who is currently a smoker or was a smoker at some point in their life. For years smoking was the seen as the “cool” thing to do, it was how to “fit in.” There was no real emphasis placed on the dangers of this particular habit, and as a result, it became a world wide trend. In the past, technology and medicine were not nearly advanced enough to be able to determine just how harmful tobacco usage is. However, as we have made medical and
The initial phase of the self-directed intervention consisted of baseline measurement of smoking behaviour. Baseline data was collected for a period of 7 weeks and a functional assessment was completed during this time. Upon starting the intervention phase, the final target behaviour of smoking cessation was broken down into smaller, short-term objectives lasting 2 weeks each.
One of my first memories in the United States was taking a Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E) class. I was in sixth grade and a top student, as talking about drugs and alcohol and the way they affect us was fascinating to me. This is why, the following year, I volunteered to become a peer educator in Teens Against Tobacco Use (T.A.T.U). For a couple of years, I gave presentations to young students which included facts, demonstrations, and games, to spread the knowledge that tobacco is harmful and that staying away from smoking prolongs life expectancy and increases the quality of life. It should come as no surprise, then, that I consider myself a big proponent of staying tobacco-free and encouraging others to quit smoking as a great way to promote health. I remember watching my mom and sister as they took part in their nightly ritual of smoking a few cigarettes to unwind. “Did you know that a main component of cigarettes is used as rocket fuel?” I would ask them, as I opened the window and they stared back at me blankly. “We know, we know” was the answer every time. I knew that convincing them to quit was no easy task, but I was committed. Day after day, I proudly stated a new fact about the evils of smoking. Finally one day, they quit. At first, they attributed it to the cost. Since we had just immigrated to the United States, the cost of cigarettes was simply not something they could afford. I didn’t believe it. I proudly
The smoking habit is the principal cause of illness, disability and death around the world. More than five million of people in the world die due to smoking habit every year. If we don’t take care of this in 2030 the amount will be ten million. Seven million of these deaths would be in poor countries.
The evidence suggests that many smokers want to quit but can’t. In 2010 68.8% of smokers reported they would like to quit smoking entirely
Consequences also reach people nonsmokers who are exposed to smoke even involuntarily. Unfortunately, more than 126 million of Americans who don’t smoke are still exposed to the harmful effects of tobacco, whether in their homes by a family member who smokes, or on the streets and in public places by strangers who smoke (CDC, 2007). And the result of this exposure, can be seen in the data published by the World Health Organization (WHO) who reports that more than 600,000 million of deaths are a result of passive smoking, and in 2004, 28% of the children deaths were consequence of second-hand smoke in 2004 (WHO, 2014).
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 preparation stage is where the woman is committed to giving up smoking. She may seek extra help and is likely to attempt change soon (Dunkley 2000). If the woman is in this planning stage she may benefit from smoking
Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States and worldwide (Centers for Disease Control, 2013, World Health Organization, 2008). Tobacco cessation counseling is a vital component of any public health strategy seeking to decrease mortality, disease and costs associated with smoking. To that end, the Healthy People 2020 Tobacco Use Objectives cover three main areas: reducing tobacco use, instituting health system changes, and creating social and environmental changes (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013). Objective TU-10 falls under the category of health system changes as it seeks to open doors for patients to make quit attempts and to pursue tobacco cessation methods by increasing
In the United States today, more than forty six million Americans are addicted to cigarettes. More people have died due to cigarette smoking than from narcotic drugs, World Wars I and II, and the Vietnam War combined (Bailey 1). The annual death toll for cigarette smoking is more than four-hundred thousand Americans a year, and is the number-one preventable cause of death in the United States. If Americans are aware of the lethal effects of smoking, why is it still so popular? Guy Smith, a Phillip Morris Tobacco Company executive, claims that their research shows that advertising is the top reason people start smoking (Bailey 34). Most people will argue that this is not true because the do not like to be “sold” and
Tobacco products are ever so threatening in the United States, where according to U.S. Food and Drug administration 25% of the deaths in men and women age 35 to 69 are caused from smoking related diseases (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2017). This number was even higher among substance abusers and people with mental health problems (Bandiera, Anteneh, Le, Delucchi, & Guydish, 2015, p.1). Even if someone does not die from smoking cigarettes they are at increased risk of contracting an otherwise preventable disease. Due to an exponentially growing amount of people becoming affected with diseases related to tobacco use, the United States government were forced to take action to try and stop the progression of these horrible diseases. These actions have come to no avail, since people who are addicted to cigarettes are not going to stop buying them just because of a price increase. Banning the production and distribution of tobacco products will contribute to a
An estimated 36.5 million or 15.1 % of adults aged 18 years old and older currently smoke cigarettes and more than 16,000,000 have smoking or live with diseases that are related to smoking. According to US department of health and human services, over the past five decades, there is a significant decline in cigarette smoking in the U.S. The progress has slowed in recent years and the prevalence of use of other tobacco products such as vapes, e-cigars and smokeless tobacco
The tobacco industry kills more people in North America from Monday to Thursday of each week than the terrorists murdered in total on September 11, 2001. That sounds unrealistic, doesn’t it? Well, smoking is an epidemic that affects us all, whether you are a smoker or you aren’t. In order to stop this epidemic, we need to
According the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2015), cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States, accounting for more than 480,000 deaths every year, or 1 of every five deaths. In 2015, about 15 of every 100 U.S. adults age 18 years or older currently smoke cigarettes. However, this is a decline from nearly 21 of every 100 adults back in 2005. One reason for the decline is due to smoking cessation programs developed within our communities. These programs are helping smokers to quit their habit, and improve their health and lifestyle. Let us look at what it takes to make a smoke cessation successful within ones’ community.