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Introduction

The percentage of cigarette smokers in the US is increasing at an alarming rate. In 2019, statistics showed that almost 14 individuals in every 100 adults aged 18 years and over are smokers. The statistics imply that approximately 14 percent or 34.1 million adults in the US are cigarette smokers. Besides, more than 16 million Americans live with smoking-related illnesses (Cole et al., 2020).  These cigarette smoking-related diseases have cost the US more than $300 billion every year, incorporating almost $170 billion for primary medical care for adults. Moreover, cigarette smoking has resulted in more than $156 billion in lost productivity, incorporating $5.6 billion in lost productivity because of secondhand smoke exposure (Cole et al., 2020). Besides, cigarette smoking is associated with a wide range of adverse health effects that substantially diminishes the health status of smokers. Most importantly, cigarette smoking causes heart diseases, cancer, lung diseases, diabetes, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (Helms, King, & Ashley, 2017). This paper proposes a policy to address the health needs of persons with cigarette smoking addiction, thus enhancing their health outcomes.

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Propose a policy

Smoking cessation is associated with reduced adverse health effects. The proposed policy, thus, emphasizes the social restriction of cigarette availability, which entails banning publicity of all cigarette products in communication media, as well as cigarette promotions. Marketing improves cigarette use and contributes to the perception that smoking cigarette is beneficial in life as it is a form of entertainment and can lead to happiness (Ranabhat et al., 2017). A vital step towards decreasing cigarette smoking is, therefore, through revising its social acceptance to ensure that people are more informed about the facts concerning cigarette smoking. Prevention of cigarette smoking can be achieved through implementing a range of guidelines. For instance, a comprehensive ban of all media types, incorporating television, radio, and newspaper that promote cigarette smoking, is not only cost-effective but also ideal in reducing cigarette smoking among adults. Particularly, it is important to prevent the exposure of vulnerable populations to cigarette smoking as this may promote its use, affecting their health. Once a ban on cigarette marketing has been implemented, it is vital to recruiting an independent body that can monitor and enforce the ban to ensure its effectiveness (Hawkins et al., 2018).

Need for a proposed policy

Cigarette smoking leads to adverse health effects and increased utilization of medical services, thus generating higher medical care costs and lead to more inpatient and outpatient visits (Helms, King, & Ashley, 2017). The policy to implement full restrictions on cigarette advertising is the best because it addresses the harmful cigarette smoking behavior rather than emphasizing individual behaviors. Cigarette marketing restrictions are low-cost interventions that are cost-effective in reducing cigarette-associated harm. Smoking cessation results in improved quality of life (Cruz et al., 2019). Advertising cigarette influences risky behaviors among individuals and normalizes cigarette smoking while recruiting new smokers. Banning cigarette-smoking advertisements will ensure that individuals seek more healthy ways of entertaining themselves while reducing the risk associated with cigarette smoking.

Interprofessional approach implementing proposed policy

Cigarette smoking cessation treatment integrates care between healthcare and social services. The goal of treatment is to reduce cigarette smoking and eventually eliminate associated symptoms. A cigarette advertisement restriction can only be implemented successfully if various organizational members collaborate to attain a common goal. For instance, social workers can collaborate with nurses, physicians, and other clinical officers to establish the benefits of implementing a smoking cessation policy. The input offered by each professional would ensure that the strategies are the best for improving patient outcomes (Cruz et al., 2019). Informing patients about the harmful cigarette smoking behavior is an effective approach to creating awareness regarding the adverse effects on health. To implement the cigarette smoking cessation awareness policy effectively, collaborating with various organizational members is also essential because it will further improve outcomes.

Conclusion

           Overall, it is challenging nicotine-addicted individuals to limit the number of cigarettes they smoke; thus, implementing a restriction on cigarette smoking advertisements can improve healthcare outcomes of a large number of people. Cigarette smoking advertisement promotes smoking by establishing an illusion that smoking is useful for the body. This strategy does not target the patient’s behaviors, but it instead seeks to address the problem that is cigarette smoking. When implementing such a policy, it is vital to incorporate an interprofessional team because the various experts from different professionals ensure that opinions are considered from a broader perspective.

References

Cole, A. G., Aleyan, S., Battista, K., & Leatherdale, S. T. (2020). Trends in youth e-cigarette and cigarette use between 2013 and 2019: insights from repeat cross-sectional data from the COMPASS study. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 1-10.

Cruz, T. B., McConnell, R., Low, B. W., Unger, J. B., Pentz, M. A., Urman, R., ... & Barrington-Trimis, J. L. (2019). Tobacco marketing and subsequent use of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and hookah in adolescents. Nicotine and Tobacco Research, 21(7), 926-932.

Hawkins, B., Holden, C., Eckhardt, J., & Lee, K. (2018). Reassessing policy paradigms: a comparison of the global tobacco and alcohol industries. Global public health, 13(1), 1-19.

Helms, V. E., King, B. A., & Ashley, P. J. (2017). Cigarette smoking and adverse health outcomes among adults receiving federal housing assistance. Preventive medicine, 99, 171-177.

Ranabhat, C. L., Kim, C. B., Park, M. B., & Jakovljevic, M. M. (2019). Situation, impacts, and future challenges of tobacco control policies for youth: an explorative systematic policy review. Frontiers in pharmacology, 10, 981.