Health Problem
People are at the epicenter of sustainable development. They deserve a productive and healthy life in correspondence with nature. The ultimate directives of sustainable development cannot be attained if there is a high rate of debilitating diseases. Amongst the key challenging areas that affect the American population and prevent sustainable development is tobacco dependency. One-fourth of the productive individuals, that is, the adults and youth smoke and use tobacco. The rates have been increasing even since the 90s. The health issue is currently the leading contributor to preventable death and diseases in the nation. The overall attempt to improve the medical status of the U.S relies on instituting dramatic reductions in tobacco usage in the adults and young individuals. This paper tackles the health problem of nicotine dependency in America and the burden it poses to the health care system. It also highlights the provisions established to reduce the threats of the issue.
Since the surgeon’s report released in 1964, there been a tremendous improvement in the scientific information concerning the health implications of tobacco use. Not only does the activity lead to the two deadly illnesses in the world, cancer, and heart diseases, but it has also been associated with negative pregnancy outcomes. The non-smoking individuals are not immune to the implications of the hazard since second-hand smoking also affected them. Evidence indicates that the practice is quite addictive with only very few individuals managing to quit smoking permanently every year. The nicotine addiction begins in the adolescent stage. Eradicating or curbing seems to be a difficult strategy. Prevention is the only promising method as well as smoking cessation (Department of Health and Human Service, 2010, 11).
The problem impacts all the parties involved ranging from the leadership, patients, health organizations, and providers. The government is faced with the issue of reducing the causalities of deaths and illnesses related to tobacco use. Patients struggle to eradicate the addiction to avoid its economic and social costs. Society tries to prevent the escalation of the behavior to protect the future offspring. With the current statistics, use of tobacco seems to start in the early ages. Hence, it is essential to target the young generations. Health organizations and providers are interested in securing the status of the health care system by ensuring that they offer the best services to the nicotine addicts. The families of the tobacco users are also affected adversely from the medical bills they have to pay to sustain the lives of their loved ones (Department of Health and Human Service, 2010, 20).
Healthy People 2020
According to Department of Health and Human Service (2010, 28), decreasing the usage of tobacco is a prominent component of Healthy People 2020. It is a national action program of improving the status of Americans within the first two decades in the 21st century. The plan lists no fewer than 21 medical objectives. One of which is reducing the present rates of addiction by half amongst adults and the youth. Achieving the aims of the Healthy People 2020 will require substantial progress and commitment in different areas. The Surgeon’s General Document of America also provides a primary resource in fulfilling the objectives of Healthy People 2020. The report’s findings are proof that many approaches and strategies have been successful in preventing tobacco use and ending addiction. The only difficulty is for the health care systems, partners, and public health officials to implement the suggested solutions.
Official Title and Legislation Citation
Cigarette exposure and smoking kills 443000 individuals every year. For every one of them who dies two are living with illnesses associated to the practice. The activity costs the United States an estimated ninety-six billion dollars on medical expenses and ninety-seven billion in lost labor annually. Despite the limited developments in controlling the addiction, one in every five high school students or adults smokes. The 21st century unlike before has witnessed the convergence of political support and public attitudes that provide an opportunity to the country. In 2009, President Obama granted the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the mandate to regulate the sale of tobacco products to secure public health. He also signed the Affordable Care Act to improve the medical outcomes of civilians. The policy expands smoking cessation to cover the pregnant Medicare recipients (Department of Health and Human Service, 2010, 36).
The Department of Human and Health Services in the U.S. can now launch a new fight to end nicotine addiction. Other policies instituted by President Obama relating to smoking include the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Plan in 2009 that increased taxes on a cigarette pack. Also, there is the Tobacco Control Act of 2009 that gave the FDA the power to control all tobacco products. There are also other regulations and litigation approaches that reduce tobacco use such as clean indoor air policy, minor’s access, product regulations that require the tobacco companies to disclose the ingredients used in the manufacturing process, promotion, and advertising. However, the most successful policy has been smoking cessation that works better than prevention.
Public Policy Response
Smoking cessation has been given health priority in many nations as an essential remedy for the individual smokers. The people suffer a 50 percent likelihood of dying early due to their addiction. The expense per life saved using the policy is 2000 to 4000 dollars making it the most cost-effective technique used by clinicians. Through effective smoking cessation methods, smokers can quit the addiction successfully. Given the nature of tobacco addiction and the health damages of smoking, most strategies tend to emphasize on prevention mechanisms instead of smoking cessation. However, considering the high prevalence of nicotine addiction in America there is the need for the cessation policies (Department of Health and Human Service, 2010, 45).
Scientific knowledge reviewed by the Surgeon’s report shows the benefits of the law. In almost 25 years starting from 1965 to 1990, more than half of the smoking population in the United States had stopped. The Surgeon report finishes by saying that smoking cessation presents numerous medical advantages to both men and women of all ages. The former addicts live longer than those who continue to smoke. For example, if an individual decides to quit tobacco use before 50, he or she has half the vulnerability of dying before 65 years unlike those who do not quit prior to the age of 50 (Department of Health and Human Service, 2010, 59).
Status
Policy construction is a continuous, involved, and complicated procedure. The history of nicotine addiction shows how regulations on tobacco consumption and production have changed. Since the inception of smoking cessation in 1964, the policy has been highly effective in lowering the rates of nicotine addiction in the U.S. Other practical examples can be viewed from Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia.
Conclusion
Resources for Updates
Currently, the most prominent resource in the U.S is the Surgeon’s Report that seems to contain all relevant data concerning different illnesses that affect the population of the region. Other resources include medical journals and books relating to nicotine addiction. Annual reports provided by the World Health Organization and the Department of Human and Health Sciences also cover the topic. The results can continuously update the success of smoking cessation in the reduction and prevention of tobacco use.
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