Health Care

Running head: HEALTH CARE
Health Care
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HEALTH CARE
Context and Overview of the Public Health Problems
The use of tobacco is common throughout the world in spite of being a leading cause
behind the development of a number of chronic diseases like cancer, pulmonary disease and
cardio-vascular diseases (1). According to the Public Health England ,smoking is a leading
cause of the preventable illness and premature death in England (2). During the tenure of
2016, around 78,000 deaths occurred in England and it is attributable to smoking. This
presents 16% of all deaths occurring in the UK. The adult smoking in England however have
decline during the progression of the year. For example, at the of year 2017 recorded 14.9%
of the adult smoking in England (18 years and above) and this amounted to 6.1 million
people in comparison to 16% smoking rates in 2016. Though this percentage is still alarming
but keeping into consideration this rate of decrease in smoking, it can be concluded that the
by the end of 2023, the rate of smoking along the adults might get reduced to a permissible
range that is 8.5% to 11.7%. Public Health England is vouching for long term smoking
prevention plan by the end of 2030 under the collaboration of NHS in order to reduced the
smoking rate among adult by 5% (2). According to the reports published by the Surgeon
General during 2010, there is no low limit of tobacco smoking and there are no so-called safe
tobacco products. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2010) are of the opinion both
active and passive smoking leads to the development of cardiovascular complications. The
“tar phase” and the “gas phase of the cigarette hampers the inter-action of the cardio-vascular
and the pulmonary pathways giving rise to several complications [2]. Smoking during the
early phase of life also leads to the development of the pulmonary complications like
development of the asthmatic attack during the later stages of life. Smoking of tobacco also
increases the pre-disposition of developing type-2 diabetes mellitus (4). The decrease in the
overall rate of smoking in England is mainly successful among the middle and high income

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HEALTH CARE
groups. Thus increase in the health-inequalities is the main socio-economic cause behind the
increase in the rate of smoking from the low income groups (4). According to the World
Health Organisation (WHO) poor socio-economic condition shape up the money, power and
the availability of the resources at the national or the local levels and this lead to increase in
the tendency of smoking among the adults to hails from the low socio-economic groups (4).
The survey done by the Office of the National Statistics showed that smoking varies with the
socio-economic status like people who earn daily wages or are unemployed are more
addicted towards smoking (5). Moreover, illiterate people are more prone towards
uncontrollable smoking in comparison to the educated adults.
(Source: Office of the National Health Statistics 2018)

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HEALTH CARE
(Source: Office of the National Health Statistics 2018)
Thus the survey undertaken by the Office of the National Statistics further strengthened the
relation of the socio-economic status and smoking among the adults of England. In England,
the adults’ pregnant women are also the victims of the smoking addiction. According to the
NHS at least 10.8% of the pregnant women are active smokers at the time of their delivery
(6). Thus in order to reduce the rate of smoking the adults in England, a multi-factorial
approach is required to be undertaken and this will be guided by the health promotion
planning cycle highlighted below.