Assignment Number:
Description of Health Issue
Smoking is the practice of burning substances and breathing in the resulting smoke so that it is tasted and further absorbed into the bloodstream of an individual. Smoking is a major health issue around the world as it causes various diseases. In Canada, health issues emanating from smoking are reported every day.100 Canadians are reportedly dying each day out of diseases related smoking (Smoking and Mortality, 2011). Furthermore, the smoke affects second-hand smokers as well, with 800 deaths being reported from victims of lung cancer and heart disease every year.
Smoking affects the Canadian community adversely. The working population that would be beneficial in contributing to the growth of the country’s economy is lost through deaths and terminal illnesses. Relatives to victims of smoking health issues lose a significant portion of their time while taking care of these individuals. Furthermore, increased unhealthiness among community members causes a reduction in the work output among the healthy members as they are affected psychologically.
The annual economic burden related to smoking in Canada is $18.7 billion (Krueger, 2015). This includes the amount of money spent in curing diseases such as heart disease and lung cancer, which are prevalent among tobacco smokers. The indirect cost that emanates from loss of the healthy workforce to smoking related issues and the time spent taking care of them is becoming increasingly significant.
Health-related problems caused by smoking
Smoking affects individual intellectually where they feel like smoking gives them a ‘crutch’ to help them perform better even in their mental faculty although the effect is short lived. Smoking has been proven to cause significant damage to brain cells thereby reducing the intellectual capability of individuals. In the physical well-being of individuals, smoking has been known to affect the moods as well as physical wellbeing of their body parts by causing diseases (Edlin & Golanty, 2012). Smoking makes individuals feel unacceptable in some social circles especially when among people who hate the habit. One may find it difficult getting along with many people. Smoking reduces the reliability of an individual in their occupation especially if they start getting sick due to smoking related issues. In the emotional terms, smoking may feel as a relief to daily stress and pressures. However, smoking ends up becoming an addiction that may mess one’s life. Spiritually, smoke, which has nicotine, alters the natural state of blood in an individual. Nicotine changes the blood radiation in an individual, which ends up affecting the soul of an individual. The soul becomes impaired by nicotine. Smoking causes diseases such as heart disease, respiratory diseases, and many types of cancers. These diseases are fatal and once the disease affects an individual, the problem may remain recurring for the rest of their lifetime.
Selection and Analysis of Programs/ Services
Three programs in the Canadian community that affect the smoking issue positively include the Smokers helpline by the Canadian Cancer Society, the Stupid program by the Government of Ontario, and the Quit-smoking service by Health Canada.
The Smokers Helpline is a service that is free and confidentially offered by the Canadian Cancer Society. The service helps individuals who are addicted to smoking develop a program for quitting this harmful habit. Normally, a person who calls this helpline will be provided with tips on how they can handle the cravings that arise from being addicted to smoking (Smoking and tobacco - Canadian Cancer Society, 2016). These people are also taught how deal with various withdrawal symptoms since withdrawal from smoking can affect people in different ways. Furthermore, these people will be redirected to services offered in communities near them that can help them deal with the challenges faced after one quits smoking. This service targets all smokers irrespective of age, sex, or race. The service is nationally based but can redirect individuals to the closest assistance they can get at their local areas. The service targets both local and urban smokers. Outreach is available where individuals will be redirected to locations closer to them where experts can easily help them and arrange a follow-up to monitor the progress of the individual. This service is free and confidential thereby making it unique. Furthermore, it is open to all Canadians. The service is limited by the fact that it is provided through the phone. Most people will not take all the directives offered over the phone seriously. The service can be improved by launching a care center where people are provided with face-to-face guidance on quitting smoking. This program positively impacts on the health issues related to smoking as it leads to a reduction in the number of people that would be affected by various smoking related illnesses. Without this service, more people would get sick and die from smoking related diseases.
The Government of Ontario launched the Stupid program with the main aim being education of adolescents in matters related to the dangers of smoking. The Government of Ontario realized that the adolescents and young adults are the individuals with the largest number of smokers. Furthermore, most of the people who smoke start smoking during their adolescent age. Therefore, the Government of Ontario decided that the best way to deal with the problem of smoking is by launching such a program that would educate adolescents on the dangers of smoking. Normally, the program involves different campaigns that are launched time after time. Such campaigns are directed towards adolescents especially in schools where they are educated on the dangers of smoking. This program is regional and mostly focuses on the residents of Ontario Province. The program focuses on both urban and rural areas. There is no outreach available for this program, and once a group of adolescents has been educated on the dangers of smoking, they need to make a decision for themselves. One of the unique factors about this program it focuses on the core of the smoking problem. If future health problems from smoking are to be avoided, then adolescents have to be taught that it is not good to smoke tobacco. Furthermore, the program is funded by the Government and therefore, free for all adolescents. One limitation of the program is that it is not nationwide. It can be improved by taking it to the national level where more adolescents can be educated. This program has helped reducing the number of adolescents who smoke in Ontario. Without the program, more adolescents would be smoking and more cases of smoking related diseases and deaths would be reported.
Quit-smoking service by Health Canada is a guide that offers information and skills required by people who want to stop smoking. Through a set of steps that are listed in their website, the service educates people who want to quit smoking on the necessary measures they need to take so that they can stop smoking (Quit Smoking, 2015). The guide also outlines the importance of avoiding smoking and the reasons for individuals to stop smoking. After one has successfully completed the guide, they are redirected to various services that are offered countrywide in various provinces. These services are meant to help individuals avoid losing track in their desire to quit smoking. The service also provides a number where individuals can call and seek further guidance. This service targets smokers of from all age brackets and any gender. The service is offered nationally with the focus being both rural and urban people. Outreach is available as the service provides connections to a local expert who will guide the individual through their quest to stop smoking. The service is free and addresses multiple components related to smoking. The service can be improved by setting up centers where individuals can get expert advice on quitting smoking. The service has led to a decrease in the number of people suffering from smoking related diseases as more people are quitting smoking.
The Future of the Health Issue
Health issues related to smoking are expected to reduce significantly in the coming years. Since 2001, the number of people who smoke has been reducing. In 2001, around 28% of people were smoking. This number has significantly reduced to around 18% in the year 2014. It is expected that by year 2020, around 10% of Canadians will be smoking. Such a reduction would lead to slowing down of the deaths and diseases that are brought by smoking. There are increased efforts from the government and non-governmental organizations as they continue to launch prevention and treatment programs that can better deal with the health issues that arise from smoking. Therefore, the number of people dying from smoking related diseases such as lung cancer and heart diseases will reduce in future once better treatment services are introduced.
A future program that would positively affect the health issues brought by smoking would have to focus more on adolescent education programs. If an adolescent education program is launched nationally, the number of people that start smoking will reduce thereby minimizing new cases of addiction. The next future national program should focus on educating young adults between the age 24 and 35 so that they can quit smoking. Most of them will not have smoked for many years and quitting will be easier for them. The program would lead to reduced number of smokers among the part of the population that is mostly affected by smoking addiction. Such results will mean that in future, smoking related diseases will affect fewer people. Fewer resources will be spent on the issue and thus, the country will be able to focus on other vital issues.
References
Smoking and Mortality. (201). Retrieved June 09, 2016, from http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hc- ps/tobac-tabac/legislation/label-etiquette/mortal-eng.php
Reid, J. L., Hammond, D., Burkhalter, R., Rynard, V. L., & Ahmed, R. (2015). Tobacco Use in Canada: Patterns and Trends, 2015 Edition. Waterloo, ON: Propel Centre for Population Health Impact, University of Waterloo; 2013.
Krueger, J. (2015). Variation across Canada in the economic burden attributable to excess weight, tobacco smoking and physical inactivity. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 106(4), E171.
Edlin, G., & Golanty, E. (2012). Health and wellness. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Smoking and tobacco - Canadian Cancer Society. (2016). Retrieved June 09, 2016, from http://www.cancer.ca/en/prevention-and-screening/live-well/smoking-and- tobacco/?region=on
Quit Smoking. (2015). Retrieved June 09, 2016, from http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hc-ps/tobac- tabac/quit-cesser/index-eng.php
