Tobacco use (including all: vaping, e-cigarettes, hookah, chewing tobacco, and smoking) cessation. Historically, nurses have significantly contributed to community and public health concerning health promotion, disease prevention, and environmental and public safety. They have also been instrumental in shaping public health policy. Today, community and public health nurses have a key role in identifying and developing plans of care to address local, national, and international health issues. Community and public health nursing aims to optimize the health of individuals and families, considering cultural, racial, and ethnic groups, communities, and populations. Caring for a population involves identifying the factors that place the population’s health at risk and developing specific interventions to address those factors. Health Promotion Plan- Tobacco Use Health Promotion Plan- Tobacco Use The community/public health nurse uses epidemiology to customize disease prevention and health

Health Promotion Plan- Tobacco Use

Tobacco use is becoming a growing epidemic in the United States. Tobacco use has many negative health and economic consequences. Tobacco increases the risk of cancer, COPD, tuberculosis, eye problems, and rheumatoid arthritis (West, 2017). Tobacco use is common globally. Many people know the unhealthy effects of tobacco, but they still use it due to its addictive effects. The negative healthcare effects can cause many health comorbidities and even death. Despite these effects, many people, including the youth, use different forms of tobacco products. Tobacco is very addictive, hence why many people cannot stop using it (Onor et al., 2017). Some of the comorbidities include respiratory and cardiac problems. It is thus critical for nurses to implement health promotion programs to reduce the burden of tobacco use within our society.

Tobacco Use in Adolescents

Tobacco use is established when individuals are adolescents. Approximately 9 out of 10 adults who smoke tobacco daily first tried smoking by the age of 18, and 99% of them started smoking by the age of 26 (Onor et al., 2017). Every day in the United States, approximately 1600 youth smoke their first cigarette, and approximately 200 youth start smoking daily (Onor et al., 2017). There are many flavorings in tobacco that make smoking appealing to the youth. In 2020, close to 85% of high school goers and 74% of students going to middle school reported using flavored tobacco products (Onor et al., 2017). The common types of tobacco among the youth include e-cigarettes, cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, hookah, and heated tobacco products.

Young individuals who use multiple tobacco products are more likely to develop nicotine addiction and continue cigarette smoking into adulthood. There are many reasons why tobacco smoking is common among the youth. One of the reasons is the way the mass media is portraying tobacco use as a normal activity (CDC, 2021).  The social and physical environment makes it more appealing for the youth to use tobacco. Another reason is mental health. Tobacco smoking is linked to depression and anxiety (CDC, 2021). Other reasons include low income, low education, lack of psychosocial support from patients, accessibility and availability of tobacco, poor school performance, low self-esteem, and advertisements in movies and magazines (CDC, 2021).

The groups selected for this health promotion are the youth and adolescents. This group has been selected since there is a strong need for educating them on preventive measures that can help them avoid the health issues and addiction associated with tobacco use. I also have personal reasons for selecting this topic. My grandfather died of COPD exacerbation. He started smoking at the age of 10. COPD exacerbation is due to excessive smoking, and this was the reason my grandfather died. Smoking also leads to respiratory and cardiac conditions and poor quality of life (Onor et al., 2017). Educating adolescents and youth early will allow them to understand the dangers of tobacco use. The education programs can be implemented in youth shelters, school clubs, and after-school programs. It will also be critical for this education to be integrated with already existing programs such as DARE. The risks of smoking are just as high as those of illicit substances. Offering this education through the different will be done at no cost since it will be done in schools.

It is important to identify the learning needs of the youth and adolescents. These groups have a shorter attention span, and hence, they will benefit from frequent smaller sessions. During the education, the audience will be expected to verbalize the risks and dangers of tobacco use. Handouts will also be used in the teaching plan. The teaching plan will also supply pamphlets, reading materials, and quizzes. YouTube videos will also be used in the health promotion plan. Using these teaching materials will ensure that the health promotion program is not monotonous.

SMART Goals

SMART goals must be applied during the health promotion program. The SMART goal is an acronym for “ Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound.” Formulating effective goals is important in the success of any project (MacLeod, 2012). The learning goals for this health promotion program must be specific to the youth and adolescents. After education, meetings should be held to determine whether the participants have understood the health risks of tobacco use. This will also help the participants to reflect on the information they have learned. Tobacco abuse is a complex healthcare issue. It is thus critical to educate the youth and adolescents. This health promotion plan will lead to enhancing the quality of life and a healthier youth population.

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