Pembroke Pines Demographics
According to U.S. Census Bureau (2019) estimates:
- Population (July 2019) –173,591;
- City size – 34.4 square miles spread west and east;
- High school graduate or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+, 2015-2019 – 93.1;
- Median household income (in 2019 dollars), 2015-2019 – $68,745;
- Persons in poverty, percent – 9.3.
- Total health care and social assistance receipts/revenue, 2012 ($1,000) – 952,976.
Pembroke Pines is a fairly big city located in Broward County Florida. With its total estimate of population being around 174 thousands, Pembroke Pines is the Florida’s 11th and the U.S.’s 149th largest city.
Pembroke Pines Relevant Epidemiological Data
According to Cleveland Clinic Florida Weston (2019) assesment:
- 11.7 percent of city’s adult population are smokers;
- 5.7 percent of the population have a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease;
- 12.3 percent of the population have asthma, which is worse than Florida average;
- 7.9 and 2.5 percent of the population are prone to heart disease and heart failure respectively.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) of the U.S. reports moderately high rates of smoking associated diseases in adults. Seeing as almost 12 percent of the city’s population over 18 years are smokers, it is not unusual to see high rates of pulmonary and heart diseases among the city’s total population. This could contribute to the topic of tobacco use among adolescents.
Problem Description – Tobacco Use among Adolescents
- Persons under 18 years, percent – 20.3 (2019 U.S. Census Bureau);
- Percent of children under age 18 in poverty – 18.3 (Cleveland Clinic Florida Weston 2018);
- Percentage of households with at least 1 of 4 housing problems – 26.0 (Cleveland Clinic Florida Weston 2018).
Tobacco use among adolescents occupies one of the leading positions among the modern problems of the younger generation. The starting age of smokers is 7-10 years old, but every year the age limit is decreasing. The majority of smokers are high school students between the ages of 14 and 16.
Florida Youth Tobacco Survey Data (2020) reports that “the percent of students who have ever tried cigarettes, cigars, or smokeless tobacco (All Middle and High School Students) was 16.2%” (pp. 3). The rates of children living in poverty or in households with severe housing problems are quite high – the latter being in the bottom quartile among Florida cities. These factors contribute significantly to the problem of adolescent tobacco use in Pembroke Pines.
SBIRT Description
- SBIRT refers to Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment.
- SBIRT can be used as a tool for detection and subsequent monitoring of adolescent tobacco use.
The Screening part of SBIRT is oriented on recognizing and cataloguing the adolescents who use tobacco or are in the risk groups for it, as well as determine appropriate intervention strategy. Subsequently, the stage of Brief Intervention results in a motivational discussion designed specifically for targeting adolescents who use or have a potential of using tobacco. Finally, the Referral to Treatment is the last step, which provides patients with the information about more specialized treatment and specialists.
SBIRT Use Example and Outcomes
- SBIRT could be a motivational interviewing skill that nurses can use to engage with college students who use electronic cigarettes (Holden and Simerson 2021).
- SBIRT allows nurses to make early interventions with the potential tobacco users.
The potential of SBIRT use is very wide. Holden and Simerson (2021) provide an example how it can be implemented by nurses in the college setting. College students remain one of the vulnerable parts of society due to the high stress, college debts, separation anxiety and overall U.S. environmental problems such as polluted air and high noise level.
The general outcomes of SBIRT use in any setting are the awareness enhancement, potential for recovery from tobacco use, as well as improved prevention and treatment means. Moreover, it reduces the cost of treatment by offering early screening and intervention, while the consequences of tobacco use are still low.
Community Resource
- Compass Health Systems Pembroke Pines Clinic –1601 North Palm Avenue, Suite 211, Hollywood, FL 33026.
- Phone number: (888) 363-2855.
Compass Health Systems Pembroke Pines Clinic is a mental health facility which specializes in treatment of children and adolescents. The clinic offers a variety of Tobacco/Screening services, and can help with counseling on smoking cessation, as well as with specific medication for it. The treatment is quite affordable due to the fact that the clinic accepts all kinds of payments and insurances, including Medicaid, Medicare and even other state-financed health insurance plans. Seeing as this is primarily a mental health facility, both the psychological and functional acceptability are covered in the clinic’s various services. The clinic is easily assessable: it has hearing impaired patients support and options for Spanish-speaking population. Finally, the clinic’s website provides the information about each and every service the facility offers for their potential and current clients’ awareness.
Implications for Practice
- The problem of adolescents tobacco use remains significant for Pembroke Pines city;
- SBIRT is a functional and useful tool for adolescents tobacco use detection and prevention.
Smoking causes pathological changes in the teenagers bodies, and may result in diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart stroke and even heart failure. For health care workers, the issue of tobacco use among adolescents is one of the most significant, and it calls for the development of more efficient prevention and intervention means. SBIRT proved to be an effective tool for the nursing intervention. Addressing the EC use among college students with SBIRT, nurses gained knowledge and improved their intervention skills significantly (Holden and Simerson 2021).
Conclusion
- The rates of smoking population and smoking-associated diseases are moderately high in Pembroke Pines city, Florida.
- Tobacco use among adolescents is still a significant problem for Florida state.
- SBIRT can be used as a means for early detection and intervention to reduce the problem.
- Compass Health Systems Pembroke Pines Clinic is a relevant community resource.
- Health care workers need to address the problem on a more specialized level.
- It is important to solve the problem due to the fact that it would improve the health of the younger generation and reduce the health risks for its future adulthood.
According to world studies, the smoking habit is usually formed in young years. Most adult smokers started smoking when they were teenagers: only a small part of smokers today started smoking after 18 years. Therefore, youth smoking should be a special concern of health care workers and community resources. The greatest effect is achieved if tobacco prevention efforts are focused on adolescence. SBIRT is a comprehensive program that helps preventing and treating tobacco use in adolescents.
References
Cleveland Clinic Florida Weston. (2019). Community Health Needs Assessment 2019. Weston; Broward Health.
Holden, J., & Simerson, D. (2021). Screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIRT) by nurses to college students who use electronic cigarettes. Journal of American College Health, 1–6. Web.
United States Census Bureau. (2019). Pembroke Pines city, Florida. Web.