Youth Smoking: Alarming Issue and Health Promotion Strategies

This report provides insights into the alarming issue of youth smoking and offers recommendations for effective health promotion strategies. It discusses the factors influencing youth smoking and the need for intervention. The report also highlights different methods for health promotion and provides recommendations to address this health issue.

Running head: YOUTH SMOKING
YOUTH SMOKING
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

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Table of Contents
Introduction:...............................................................................................................................2
Background:...............................................................................................................................2
Need for health promotion:........................................................................................................4
Analysis:.....................................................................................................................................5
Recommendations:.....................................................................................................................7
Conclusion:................................................................................................................................8
References:...............................................................................................................................10

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Introduction:
Smoking in youth and adults is an alarming issue affecting the younger generation
worldwide. According to Bradshaw 1972, the urge of smoking and its addiction is considered
in felt need. In felt need, the people fulfil the required changes in order to correct the
deficiency they are facing in the community (Bradshaw 1972). It is considered as a negative
health behaviour across various nations with a negative impact on society. It is believed that
90% of the population, who smoke, have started smoking before the age of 18-21, which is
considered as the toughest time to quit smoking as they have already developed this habit in
their respective everyday life (Medlineplus.gov 2019). Youth smoking is not only concerned
with cigarettes but also includes smoking pipes, cigar, hookah, and oral products such as
pouches, e-cigarette, sticks, strips and spit tobacco. The prevalence rate of youth smoking
increased in early 1990s and it is assumed that many adults and youth smoke more than one
product and are addicted to it (Who.int, 2019). The majority of young adults and teenagers
take up smoking under influence of fellow friends to show-off. The emerging brain of
teenagers and adults are most vulnerable to take up nicotine addiction. A survey conducted
by U.S. department of Health & Human Services (HHS) highlighted that more than 3.6
million of high and middle school going students are tobacco user in the year 2017
(HHS.gov, 2019). This report will discuss in brief about the concept of youth smoking with
relevant background and different methods for health promotion and intervention among
youth. Different recommendations approach is highlighted in order to help the youth with
different strategies to address this health issue (York.ac.uk 2019).
Background:
However, smoking cigarette is very common between youth worldwide, other type of
nicotine and tobacco consumption is also common leading to nicotine addiction. According

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to U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), approximately 2000 teenagers under the age of
18 take up smoking every day with 90% of them turning out to be chain smokers in U.S.
Different flavours of tobacco make it appealing for the youth to be addict. In 2014, 56% of
middle school and 73% of high school youth used flavoured tobacco every day (Fda.gov,
2019). According to CDC, the consumption rate of e-cigarettes is increasing among youth. In
2017, more than 2.1 million youth were consuming e-cigarettes, which increased to 3.6
million by 2018. More than 1.5 million youth started consumption of e-cigarettes by 2018.
CDC also reported that in 2018, majority of youth consume more than one cigarettes every
day, which include 2.4% and 11.3% of middle school and high school youth (cdc.gov, 2019).
Youth with multiple tobacco consumption are at higher risk of nicotine dependence as
compared to others and tend to consume tobacco more often in their adulthood phase,
developing to be chain smokers.
Sour
ce: (cdc.gov, 2019): Tobacco consumption in high school student in 2018

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So
urce: (cdc.gov, 2019): Tobacco consumption in Middle School student in 2018
According to Benjamin et al. 2018, tobacco consumption is the primary cause of
death in U.S with more than 7.2 million death in 2015. In recent 5 years, there has been a
tremendous increase of tobacco consumption among teenager and adults. In this survey, the
researcher observed that the prevalence rate for high tobacco consumption is observed in gay,
American or Alaska lesbian, people with low socio-economic background, mentally ill
people, HIV sufferers, transgender populace and military workers (Benjamin et al. 2018).
Need for health promotion:
The alarming situation of increasing rate of tobacco consumption and the negative
health effect on the youth population demands a proper health promotion program and
intervention in order to identify the need to ban or reduce the usage of tobacco consumption
among youth population following the need assessment strategy (Bradshaw 1972). Despite
the fact that every individual is accustomed with the negative health effect of tobacco
consumption, the rate of youth smoking is increasing day by day leading to a serious health
concern (Alvares 2018). The mortality rate is 60-80% more in case of smokers as compared

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to non-smokers, this degree of devastation has to be controlled by implementing effective
health promotion campaign and prevention strategies to reduce the tobacco consumption
worldwide. The need for health promotion is essential to reduce the increasing rate of chronic
diseases in U.S due to smoking or particularly due to tobacco consumption (Health.gov.au
2019). The active and broad health promotion strategy is required for tobacco prevention as
the current statistics of Australia shows that 90% of the youth population are tobacco users
with majority youth consuming more than one nicotine product every day.
Analysis:
According to Theory of Triadic Influence, which is a model for incorporating and
accepting the interconnected influences on teenagers and youth for smoking tobacco states a
“big picture” of various factors that might contribute to this alarming health issues in youth
(Tobaccoinaustralia.org.au 2019). There are three different factors for this health issue, which
include (Cho and Kim 2019):
 Intrinsic Factors- This factor include the psychological and physiological aspect,
which influence the self-efficacy, self-determination and competence of a youth.
 Extrinsic Factors- This factor include the behavioural influence of close family
members and friends considering the social relationship of the youth.
 Environmental Factor- This factor include the environmental influence such as
knowledge, evaluation and values, and expectations on the belief and attitude of the
youth.

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Source: (Tobaccoinaustralia.org.au 2019): Factors influencing on uptake of smoking
The target group for health promotion intervention will be the young teenagers and
adults. The teenager phase of a person is the most venerable period to take up smoking, 80%
of smoker’s claims that they took up smoking even before the age 20 and tend to be nicotine-
addictive after some years. Hence, this phase of youth will be the primary target group for
health promotion intervention (aihw.gov.au, 2019). The rate of tobacco consumption was also
observed high in pregnant women; hence, these women do require intervention as smoking
can affect the growth of baby. Youth with drinking habit end up smoking regularly, with a
high proportion of men as compared to female. Hence, the target people for health promotion
intervention would range from teenagers (15 years and above) including girls and boys,
adults (20 years and above), youth and adults with regular alcohol consumption and drugs,
mentally ill patients like schizophrenia, aboriginal people, and youth with low socio-
economic condition (Seslhd.health.nsw.gov.au 2019).

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There are different health analysis method for the target group of people with tobacco
consumption known as “tobacco control” to help teenagers and youth to stop smoking
(Warner 2019). The approaches for youth concerned with tobacco includes review of anti-
smoking promotions as the findings from this campaign provide a strong evidence, evaluation
of school-based intervention outcome in teenagers and youth and survey from reducing the
retailers to sell tobacco to minors (below the age of 18).
Recommendations:
The health issue related to tobacco consumption depends on various factors, which
lead to nicotine-addiction among youth generation. The recommendation to address the
influences, which lead to this health issue of tobacco consumption are explained as follows
with health prevention interventions (Tobaccoinaustralia.org.au, 2019):
Influence to Smoke Health care intervention
Family environment 1) Adult campaigns to quit smoking and
termination interventions.
2) Information directed to parents relating to
youth smoking with resources.
Smoking attitude and norms of peers 1) Peer-education methodologies
2) Mass-media promotion for target people
3) Peer-influence approaches integrated in
School intervention.
Intention, certainty and approach 1) School-based program
2) youth-targeted mass media promotions
3) Approaches to completely inhibit
smoking in public sector.
Educational environment 1) School smoke-restriction strategy
2) Initiatives to protect students against
smoking (like Physical activity)
Accessibility and availability of tobacco
product
1) Removing displays in retail shops
2) Inhibiting sales to teenagers and minors
interventions
3) Licensing of retailers
Affordability of tobacco product 1) Pricing and fiscal policy strategy
Advertisement of tobacco product 1) Completely ban of promotion and

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advertising strategy
2) Negative health warning on any tobacco
product
3) Monitoring and supporting the movement
of exposing tobacco industry
4) No advertisement of tobacco
consumption in public sectors
Appealing approach of tobacco products 1) Regulation on packaging of tobacco
product
2) No flavouring advertisement on any
tobacco product to attract youngster.
The above intervention was recommended to prevent the rate of tobacco consumption
in youth and minors. According to Bradshaw, in order to make the intervention successful,
campaigns and literature survey was done to increase the effectiveness of anti-smoking
strategy in youths (Bradshaw 1972). To ensure the effectiveness of the health intervention,
tobacco prevention strategies should assessed at ordered intervals with proper planning and
implementation. A survey should be performed at regular breaks to keep a proper check on
the improvement level of tobacco consumption in teenagers and adults (Raeside et al. 2019).
Conclusion:
In this report, a detail insight was provided on the tobacco consumption rate in the
youth of Australia. The alarming situation of this health condition was rising everyday as
more and more youths were involved in tobacco consumption, which involved middle school
and high school students below the age of 17 years (Siddiqui et al. 2019). The factors
effecting this generation to take up smoking was also highlighted with the required health
intervention. Different influential factors were considered to trigger nicotine-addiction among
youth. Recommendations were provided to reduce the rate of tobacco consumption with the
strategy for effective health outcome. Hence, from this report it was clear that tobacco

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consumption among youth (below the age of 17) is a critical situation, which requires more
attention and alternatives to control this health issue worldwide.

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Chiuve, S.E., Cushman, M., Delling, F.N., Deo, R. and de Ferranti, S.D., 2018. Forecasting
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Bradshaw, J. 1972. Taxonomy of social need.
cdc.gov 2019. Youth and Tobacco Use. [online] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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