Secondhand Smoking
Secondhand smoke is a critical issue in contemporary societies that needs to be addressed with the seriousness it deserves. Kovalenko (2022) defines secondhand smoke as the smoke that originates from burning a tobacco product either directly or indirectly. It contains toxic and carcinogenic chemicals that are unfit for human health.
When a non-smoker is exposed to smoke, there is a high chance that they will have adverse health issues, either immediately or in the later years of their lives. In most cases, infants are the most affected persons by the exposure, and it is vital to protect them at all costs. The smoke is often inhaled by others around the smoker when smoked in public.
An example to elaborate on this concern is when an individual mingles with a person who smokes tobacco products in a public gathering. In such instances, the secondhand smoker might not feel any changes. Nonetheless, breathing the smoke is often detrimental to a person’s health, and caution must be taken to prevent the incidence.
Secondhand Smoke Effects on Infants’ Health
Secondhand smoke is especially detrimental to infants’ health when exposed. The primary health effect is that it causes respiratory issues when they are exposed for a relatively long period. Riestiyowati et al. (2020) posit that secondhand smoke increases the likelihood of an infant developing severe respiratory concerns, including asthma, pneumonia, and bronchitis.
The concern also causes the exposed infants to have ear infections that often result in hearing loss if not treated. Besides this, secondhand smoke results in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. In this case, the adverse complications from the smoke cause sudden and unexpected death of the infants, particularly those under one year old. Moreover, pregnant women are also seriously affected by secondhand smoke, especially in instances where their husbands are smokers. The women may end up experiencing significant complications such as premature birth and low birth weight, or they might end up getting uncomfortable when carrying the pregnancy around smokers.
Secondhand smoke predisposes an infant to developmental delays. Several studies have explicitly pointed out that infants exposed to secondhand smoke could be at a higher risk for developmental delays (Nadhiroh et al., 2020). For example, infants may be at cognitive and language delays. They also experience chronic illnesses later in their lives, including lung cancer and heart disease. It is critical to highlight that even brief exposure to smoke could adversely affect an infant’s health.
As a result, it is essential to avoid smoking around infants to prevent these serious health concerns. Research by Nadhiroh et al. (2020) has also demonstrated that exposure to secondhand smoke could potentially enhance the risk of lung cancer. This is because of the toxic chemicals in the smoke that often damage an individual’s DNA in their lung cells. The direct effect on the lung cells results in the development of cancer.
Safety Concerns
Besides the potential effects on infants, secondhand smoke presents additional safety concerns to the infant. A predominant safety concern caused by secondhand smoke is that it might accidentally burn the infant. Considering the intuitive nature of infants, there is an increased probability that they might accidentally burn themselves with cigarettes.
The smoker may also start a fire accidentally with catastrophic consequences, including loss of property or death of an infant. The smoke from the tobacco product might end up suffocating the infant. This is a crucial concern in cases where there is excessive smoking to the extent of putting the infant at risk. Death is another crucial safety concern caused by secondhand smoke that most people often overlook. In case a fire arises, there is a good chance that a child in the home might succumb to the fire and die if the fire is not well dealt with or if a child is misplaced during the fire.
Health Promotion Plan
The first step in addressing the secondhand problem is educating the public, particularly parents and caregivers, concerning the adverse effects associated with the act towards infants. Nadhiroh et al. (2020) suggest that this can be realized by using public campaigns and community outreach programs.
Another plan may involve emphasizing smoke-free environments in homes, workplaces, and in public. The approach can be enhanced by providing vital resources and support for smokers who have the desire to quit. Collaborating with healthcare providers to incorporate secondhand smoke education into the care routine. It may include training all healthcare providers to screen all infants for exposure to smoke and offering the right resources to the parents and caregivers to address the problem.
Additionally, all smokers should also be helped to quit the behavior by emphasizing smoking cessation support to help them address the problem. In this case, support could include the provision of prescription medications to help them minimize their nicotine cravings. The medication will also be vital in helping the addicts deal with withdrawal symptoms.
An additional health promotion plan to address the problem involves the community. The community should be involved in promoting a smoke-free environment and simultaneously advocating for healthy behaviors. The strategy can include partnering with educational facilities and community groups to encourage healthy behaviors. Parents must also ensure their caregivers do not smoke to avoid the problem.
An essential health promotion plan involves monitoring and assessing its effectiveness to determine whether the strategies implemented at the family, healthcare facility, or community levels have been effective. This should entail gathering information on smoking rates and the program’s effectiveness. Additionally, it is vital to point out to all parents and caregivers that they should avoid taking children where there is an increased potential for exposure to secondhand smoke. This is a key strategy to prevent children from inhaling poisonous gas and protect them from the impending health hazards associated with secondhand smoke.
Recommendations on Accident Prevention and Safety Promotion
Addressing safety concerns and preventing accidents begins by encouraging all persons who engage in smoking to consider quitting the habit to promote healthy living among themselves and those around them. The ability to quit smoking will play an essential role in preventing all smoking-related accidents, like accidental fires and burns. To realize these objectives, it is recommended that smokers join tobacco control programs to help them adjust to a non-smoking life.
Besides this, all lighters should be kept away from children to prevent them from burning themselves. Smokers should also be keen to smoke in areas with no children, primarily to avoid exposing children to the smoke. Adults should ensure that they do not smoke in front of children because it can normalize smoking behavior and increase their likelihood of smoking in the future. Therefore, shunning smoking in neighborhoods with children will prevent this behavior and also protect them from the smoke emitted.
National Resources
The National Cancer Institute Quitline is a renowned national resource that helps persons in the U.S. struggling to quit tobacco addiction. The institute is dedicated to providing essential rehabilitating support and education to affected individuals. This is critical because it helps people from all parts of the U.S., regardless of geographical location. The primary objective of these national resources is to prevent cancer, which mainly affects people who smoke tobacco excessively. The resource encourages all people who need help to reach out and enjoy their services to help them quit smoking and protect their loved ones.
Community Resources
A FREE public health resource, the Georgia Tobacco Quit Line (GTQL) assists Georgians in quitting smoking, vaping, and using all other tobacco products. The Georgia Tobacco Use Prevention Program (GTUPP) oversees GTQL, which collaborates with a national tobacco cessation provider to offer phone, text, and online services. The service adheres to the Clinical Practice Guidelines for Treatment of Tobacco Use and Dependence published by the United States Public Health Service. It encourages all affected persons to consider further visiting the location physically to enable them to enjoy the services and ensure a tobacco-free society.
Web-Based Programs
Tobaccofree.org and Smokefree.gov are among the leading web-based programs dedicated to helping tobacco addicts deal with addiction problems. The two programs offer free help to thousands of tobacco addicts across the U.S. This is critical in assisting quitters in coping with the situation and holding them steady to realize their objective. The communities of these web-based programs consist of individuals who are keen to deal with the problem to protect themselves and those around them from the dangers of tobacco. The programs had significant success in helping various people, not just in the U.S. but in other regions worldwide, to deal with the addiction problem.
References
Kovalenko, D. A. (2022). Health effects of secondhand smoke on children under 5 years of age. CHILDS HEALTH, 17(2), 78-84. Web.
Nadhiroh, S. R., Djokosujono, K., & Utari, D. M. (2020). The association between secondhand smoke exposure and growth outcomes of children: A systematic literature review. Tobacco-Induced Diseases, 18. Web.
Riestiyowati, M., Rahardjo, S., & Murti, B. (2020). A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Secondhand Smoke Exposure on the Incidence of Pneumonia in Children Under Five. JepublichealthCom [Internet], 5, 410.