The tobacco problem is one of the most significant challenges in health care because it kills many people, 8 million in precise, around the globe yearly (CDC, 2020). World Health Organization posts about 7 million fatalities as a result of direct tobacco consumption, while 1.2 million deaths result from passive smoking to second-hand smoke (CDC, 2020). Cigarette smoking is one of the lifestyle behaviors related to the risk of cardiovascular disorders (CVD). A review of the literature shows the use of tobacco declined between 1980 and 2012, but the number of people using tobacco in the world is increasing because of the rise in the global population (CDC, 2020). Therefore, tobacco use remains stubbornly high around the globe, particularly among the low- and mid-income countries with limited capacity to mitigate the diverse tobacco-associated diseases.
Smoking in the USA remains a common phenomenon, and as early as the 1930s, the American Cancer Society issued warnings to smokers (Pampel et al., 2020). Since then, the country has played a significant role in implementing evidence-based interventions and policies to reduce the use of tobacco. Despite the government and the public health sector implementing different policies, the economic burden of smoking is significantly high. The effects are more significant in low and middle-income states where there are limited resources to tackle the problem.
The community in question is the Hispanic population in the United States, and in Laredo, Texas, in particular. Hispanics are the largest minority group in the United States, as according to national statistics, they were more than 58 million, forming a population of more than 18%. Hispanics are densely presented in Laredo, Texas, with nearly 95% of the total population. Smoking has been a concern for this population as nearly 3.9 million Hispanic adults in the United States are smokers, which is 11% of the 34.2 million smokers (Babb et al., 2020). Therefore, it is important to develop programs and initiatives that target Hispanic smokers and help them quit.
Some of the most important health improvement needs of the community are associated with adverse health effects of smoking. As such, these are at high risk of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and lung disease, chronic breathing problems. With this in mind, healthcare practitioners have come up with various strategies for curbing their menace. It is therefore vital for strategies to be put in place to sensitization of individuals on how to cope with the vice and avoid relapsing once they have quit smoking. Reducing the risk of negative health effects is directly associated with the prevention of smoking among adolescence, promotion of healthy behavior, and programs for quitting smoking.
One of the effective strategies can be aiming at core values of the Hispanic community, such as family. As such, smoking is considered one of the significant barriers that prevent women from breastfeeding their children for the required six months. It makes the women desist from weaning their babies while at the same time passing the nicotine to the babies through breast milk. Smoking lowers the mother’s appetite and the chances of mothers becoming healthy for their babies. Besides, the chances of relapse by such mothers are high, with the majority of smokers being the less financially endowed, single ladies, as well as African Americans (Joseph, Emery, Bogen, & Levine, 2017). Encouragement of women to cease smoking by informing them of the risks involved and the importance of breastfeeding to their babies have proven to be successful in curbing the menace.
The application of group-based therapy assists nurses in the analysis of the external dispositions of smoke addicts. Through observation, they get the chance to internalize what drives their actions and emotions. Continuous scrutiny of group behaviors comes in handy in enabling nurses to employ various behavioral, social, and self-control skills to manage the addicts. In such cases, the behavior of individuals is manipulated by isolating them from the group. Apart from that, exposing them to mood management whereby their emotions are monitored after being stoppage of smoking by the nurses (Khanijahani, 2017). Nurses also come in handy as far as sensitization, training, and counseling of the addicts is concerned. Hence, the described strategy is a treatment model.
Besides the treatment programs aimed at stopping smoking in the Hispanic populations in the United States. As smoking usually starts at an early age as adolescents, and teenagers who start smoking usually continue their vice in adulthood. Hence, the stop-smoking campaign “truth” aimed at preventing smoking in adolescents via TV and other media messages. During the existence of the program, the number of smoking teens reduced by nearly three times (Khanijahani, 2020). On the contrary, the “truth” did not have a community-specific message, which lessened the effectiveness of the program among the Hispanic population.
Nurses assist in setting a conducive atmosphere, which enables the addicts to discuss and share ideas and feelings. This is done during the counseling process within a given time frame. Apart from that, the provision of information through emails acts as strategies for enabling addicts to cease smoke (Khanijahani, 2020). The process also allows them to know and appreciate the risks that are involved in smoking.
References
Babb S, Malarcher A, Asman K, Johns M, Caraballo R, & VanFrank B, (2020). Disparities in cessation behaviors between Hispanic and non-Hispanic white adult cigarette smokers in the United States, 2000–2015. Prev Chronic Dis 2020; 17:190279.
Joseph, H. M., Emery, R. L., Bogen, D. L., & Levine, M. D. (2017). The influence of smoking on breast feeding among women who quit smoking during pregnancy.Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 19(5), 652-655.
Khanijahani, A. (2020). Governance and public health: implications for targeting smoking in the United States. International Journal of Health Governance, 25(2), 151-159.
n.a. (2020) Ten Great Public Health Achievements. United States, 2001–2010. CDC.gov.
Pampel, F., Khlat, M., Bricard, D., & Legleye, S. (2020). Smoking among immigrant groups in the United States: prevalence, education gradients, and male-to-female ratios. Nicotine and Tobacco Research, 22(4), 532-538.