Essay Example on the Use of Tobacco Among American Youths

Introduction

According to World Health, various factors influence healthy life or cause risk for infections or injuries (World Health Organization, 2018). Some of these health determinants include environmental, behavioral, social, and medical care factors, genetics, gender, education, culture, and physical influences. In the United States, different health behaviors are known to increase the risks for poor health among American youths such as smoking tobacco, drinking alcohol, and use of drugs. The use of tobacco has increased the rate of morbidity and mortality, increased heart diseases and cancer, and increased deaths in the United States (Arnold, 2014). According to research by the World Health Organization, tobacco is the leading cause of heart disease and mortality in most of the developed countries such as the United States compared to other behavioral determinants of health risks such as drinking alcohol, unprotected sex, nutritional choices, physical inactivity, and the use of drugs.

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Most of the youths in the United States commonly use tobacco products in the form of e-cigarette or cigarettes. Therefore, the use of tobacco increases the risk factors and chances of individuals for developing diseases or a heart condition. The problem of increased tobacco use among American youths can be reduced through behavioral and lifestyle changes or choices. Smoking tobacco becomes a habit-forming, and it becomes difficult for individuals to quit smoking, and as a result, it may end up affecting the smoker's health and even lead to death. Most of the unhealthy behaviors that the youths are involving themselves in are the main contributor to chronic diseases and increased rates of mortality among teenagers. Most of the early deaths in the United States could be avoided if people are willing to change their behaviors, such as smoking, use of drugs, eating healthy foods, having physical activities more often and most important avoid engaging in unhealthy behaviors such as smoking, use of drugs, and unhealthy eating. The purpose of this paper is to identify how smoking or using tobacco increases the risk of poor health and health problems among American youths.

National Rates of Participation in the Health Behavior

In the United States, most youths use tobacco at a young age of 12 to17 years of age, thus increasing the risks for diseases, health conditions, and early deaths. According to research, the number of young males who use tobacco is 37% higher than that of the female, which is 27% (World Health Organization, 2018). Most of the youths who smoke or use tobacco first used tobacco products such as cigarettes before the age of 18 years. In the United States, about 1,600 youth use their first tobacco product in the form of the e-cigarette or cigarettes when they are under 18 years of age every day, and almost 200 of the adolescences below the age of 18 years become daily cigarette smokers (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2018).

The use of tobacco products has increased among young youth in the U.S. due to the increased use of e-cigarettes. For instance, in 2018, the number of middle and high school students who used tobacco products increased to 67% and 49% significantly during the past 30 days as compared to the previous years. Based on these results, more than one in a group of four high school students which is equivalent to 24.3% and almost one in every fourteen middle school students in 2018 which is equal to 31.2% had used tobacco product within the last 30days, which is a significant increase from the previous year 2017(Food, 2019). The reason the use of tobacco products has increased in recent years is that most teenagers use flavored tobacco products, which makes them more appealing to the youths.

Why/How the Use of Tobacco Increases Risk for Health Problems

Tobacco smoke has many particles and chemicals known as nicotine that affects the mouth, lungs, airways, and liver. When these chemical substances are inhaled, they can cause health problems and diseases not only to the smoker but also those around them (World Health Organization, 2018). Therefore, the use of tobacco products such as e-cigarettes and cigarettes among the young youths causes significant health risks such as respiratory illnesses, heart diseases, cancer, possible effects to their lungs function and growth, blood pressure, heart attack, reduced physical health, and fitness, decreased immunity system in the body which can lead to death(Arnold, 2014). Therefore, Most of the youths who start smoking or using tobacco products at an early age are likely to develop severe smoking-related diseases, and some will eventually die at a young age.

In the United States, 1 out of 5 deaths that happen every day are as a result of smoking or using tobacco products such as e-cigarette or cigarette among youths than other behaviors such as the use of drugs, accidents, HIV, or guns (Stratton, Kwan, Eaton, & National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (U.S.), 2018). Also, the use of tobacco can affect a person's brain and thus affecting their ability to think right and other functions of the brain. However, the use of tobacco doe not only heart diseases, stroke, diabetes, and damage the brain but also can damage almost every organ in the body, including eyes, skin, heart, bones, lungs, reproductive organs, blood vessels and cause infertility. Smoking or using tobacco products also increases the risks of cancer and cancer deaths in both females and males in the United States. Tobacco does not only cause lung cancer but also increases risk factors for cancers of the kidney, mouth, liver, stomach, colon, myeloid leukemia, esophagus, throat, larynx, cervix, and bladder. More so, youths who use tobacco are more likely to engage other unhealthy behaviors such as the use of illegal drugs, alcohol, and involved in mere fights. Also, tobacco users may suffer from a high risk of mental health problems such as depression and sexual activities.

Population Focused Approach

Tobacco use is one of the common causes of deaths in the United States. However, different measures have been taken and implemented by the government, community, and different nations to help prevent the use of tobacco among the American youths and help improve the quality of life and health of the teenagers and people of all age groups (Notley, Ward, Dawkins, & Holland, 2018). Youths who stop using tobacco products reduce their risk of illnesses and early deaths. However, it is very challenging for youths who were involved in the use of tobacco at an early age to quit smoking or using tobacco products.

The United States health sector has implemented health policies that are meant to reduce and control the use of tobacco, reduce tobacco-related illnesses and deaths among the American youths. For example, the United States federal government have established Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC's) office on smoking and health which help prevent the teenagers and youths from using tobacco, helps the youths to stop using tobacco products, help reduce the exposure of the smoke to the tobacco non-users, and help reduce tobacco-related illnesses and risks (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019). At the local, state and national levels the American government has integrated measures to help educate the youths on the effects of using tobacco products and how they can quit smoking or using any form of tobacco products. Some of these programs includes restricting and banning the use of tobacco in public and workplaces, mass media communications campaigns and increasing the price for tobacco products.

These measures help reduce the demand for tobacco products and prevent young youths from starting to consume or using tobacco produces. Another approach used by the health sector in the United States is the CATCH My Breath Youth E-cigarette Prevention program. According to Social cognitive theory, the use of tobacco products such as E-cigarettes and cigarettes is mainly caused by peer pressure, environmental factors, and interpersonal factors (Bandura, 2014). Therefore, adopting and encouraging of social knowledge and refusal skills in schools and among youths is a significant part of smoking and using tobacco products prevention programs.

The Situation of Approach within Health Behavior Framework

Based on Social cognitive theory, people learn some behaviors through observing their friends, parents, or other people within the community (Eslami, Norozi, Hajihosseini, Ramazani, & Miri, 2018). Most of the American youths consume tobacco products since they have seen someone within their social circle using them, such as friends or parents. Therefore, CATCH My Breath, which is rooted in social cognitive theory, help to improve significant physical and social determinants of tobacco use behavior and help prevent the youths from using tobacco products such as cigarettes, and e-cigarette, and reduce the increase of health risks related to smoking and use of tobacco.

Conclusion

The use of tobacco has been referred to as the leading cause of early deaths among youths in the United States. Tobacco contains different chemicals that are known to cause various types of cancers, stroke, heart diseases and attack, chronic and pulmonary diseases, and other related complications. Most of the American youths are addicted to the use of e-cigarette and cigarettes, which are commonly used by the youth. Most teenagers start consuming tobacco before the age of 18years which causes significant risks on their health. However, the American governments and the community have established policies and programs which aim to help prevent the youths from using, quitting, and exposing non-tobacco users to the smoke and tobacco-related diseases. The government has implemented measures such as media communications campaigns to help educate the youths on the effects of using tobacco and its consequences in their life.

References

Arnold, C. (2014). Vaping and Health: What do We Know about E-cigarettes? Available at: https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/e-cigarettes.html.

Bandura, A. (2014). Social Cognitive Theory of Moral Thought and Action. In Handbook of moral behavior and development (pp. 69-128). Psychology Press.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019). Quick Facts on the Risks of E-cigarettes for Kids, Teens, and Young Adults. Smoking & Tobacco Use. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/Quick-facts-on-the-Risks-of-E-cigarettes-for-Kids-Teens-and-Young-Adults.html.

Eslami, A. A., Norozi, E., Hajihosseini, M., Ramazani, A. A., & Miri, M. R. (2018). Social cognitive theory as a theoretical framework to predict sustained abstinence 6 months after substance use treatment. (Journal of substance use.) Available from: London, Informa Healthcare. http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1051859364

Food, S. (2019). Drug Administration. 2018 NYTS Data: A Startling Rise in Youth E-Cigarette Use. Accessed May, 20. Available at: https://www. Fda.gov/tobacco-products/youth-and-tobbaco/2018-nyts-data-startling-rise-youth-e-cigarette-use.

Notley, C., Ward, E., Dawkins, L., & Holland, R. (2018). The Unique Contributions of E-cigarettes for Tobacco Harm Reduction in Supporting Smoking Relapse Prevention. Harm Reduction Journal, 15(1), 31.Available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-018-0237-7

Stratton, K. R., Kwan, L. Y., Eaton, D. L., & National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (U.S.). (2018). Public health consequences of e-cigarettes. Washington, DC : National Academies Press. http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1021809757

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2018) MAY 2019. Youth Tobacco Use: Results from the national youth Tobacco.