NURS FPX 4060 Assessment 1 Health Promotion Plan

Tobacco cessation is one of the key current public health problems in New Orleans, Louisiana, as it relates to young adults aged 18-35, who tend to maintain much higher smoking

rates than the national average and bear significant consequential health risks and economic burdens and for that matter, negative impacts bestowing on society as a result (Yoo, 2022). This can be influenced by social norms, such as peer pressure and cultural practices that inadvertently encourage smoking, and economic factors related to healthcare costs; addressing this challenge can improve health outcomes and lower aggregate community healthcare expenditures. The aim of this plan is to promote tobacco cessation in New Orleans, Louisiana through education, easing access to smoking cessation resources, and engaging the community to provide a very supportive environment in which young adults can quit smoking and begin the pursuit of healthier behaviors.

Analyses of the Use of Tobacco among New Orleans, Louisiana

Use of tobacco among the young adult population in New Orleans, Louisiana is a vital issue concerning public health. According to estimates, nearly one in four young adults in this age group are regular smokers, which is extremely high compared to the national average of 14% in U.S (Cornelius, 2023). This disparity underlines the need to have targeted interventions aimed at the specific barriers and behaviors of such a unique demographic in this vibrant city.

Among the factors that may contribute to higher rates of smoking in young adults in New Orleans are the following: social influences, especially peer pressure and cultural norms, play a significant role in continued smoking behavior. In a city as famous for its cultural festivals and social events as New Orleans, there is likely a subset of the population in which smoking has become so normative that it’s harder to have behaviors curtailed even as knowledge about health risks increases. Other major factors that lead to continuous smoking include more exposure to the stressors of urban life and easy accessibility of tobacco products (Talluri et al., 2020). This, therefore, necessitates the urgent development of quitting strategies specifically for this population.