Health Promotion in Canada: Smoking, Vaping, and Lung Disorders

This report delves into the health consequences of smoking and vaping in Canada, specifically focusing on lung disorders. It begins by outlining the detrimental effects of both smoking and vaping on the lungs, including conditions like emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), supported by statistical data and visual aids. The report then critically evaluates the existing health promotion strategies implemented by the Canadian government, such as the Tobacco Strategy, assessing their effectiveness in controlling smoking and vaping rates, particularly among youth. It highlights the strengths of these strategies, such as educational campaigns and regulatory measures, while also identifying areas for improvement, like addressing the affordability of tobacco products and expanding educational programs to include school-level interventions and interpersonal skills training. The report proposes an enhanced health promotion plan that incorporates these additional elements, emphasizing the importance of individual knowledge, social networking, and media influence to combat smoking and vaping effectively. The ecological model is used to demonstrate informative tools. The conclusion reinforces the significant health risks associated with smoking and vaping while acknowledging the positive impact of current health promotion initiatives and advocating for continued efforts to protect public health.

Running head: HEALTH PROMOTION IN CANADA
IMPACT OF SMOKING AND VAPING
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

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Introduction
Smoking is a habit where a ingredient is burned then the subsequent smoke inhaled in
is tasted as well as absorbed in the blood. The most commonly used method is where the
ingredient used with dried tobacco leaves, that are rolled to make small cylinder like structure
called cigarette. Vaping is an electronic cigar that is also known as e-cigarette which helps in
smoking tobacco. E-cigarette is an non-combustible tobacco product. Smoking as well as
vaping causes several heart diseases, lung problems, diabetes, cancer as well as COPD
(Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) that includes bronchitis and emphysema. Vaping
takes high cliff in oral health issues (Chung-Hall et al., 2018). Canadian health association
have pointed out that vaping causes problems in teeth and gum. It causes bad breadth,
recession in gum and grinding of teeth as well as weakness the immune system. Ecological
model has been used for explaining the new addition in health promotion strategy that would
prevent in smoking and vaping all over the Canada. The use of ecological model helps in
determining the various health promotional levels such as individual, interpersonal,
organisational, community and public policy.
The following paper is structured to discuss about a specific aspect of health issue of
vaping and smoking, a detailed evaluation of health promotion strategy is done and it
discusses about a new strategic plan that would add up to the present health strategy plan.
The specific health issue chosen over here is lung disorder.
Identification of a specific health or wellness issue aspect of vaping and
smoking
In 2018, a study found that almost 29 case study reported in Canada that 25 people
showed negative data regarding exposure to smoking ns vaping like heart problems,
respiratory problems, exposure to nicotine, gastrointestinal problem and injury caused due to

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electronic as well as cigarettes. In vaping sometimes due to battery exposure several other
injuries also occur (O’Connor, et al., 2019). It was then confirmed that the-cigar also have
several harmful effects that aggravate pre-existing health circumstances (Fig 1).
Fig 1: harmful effects of tobacco smoking
Smoking cause noteworthy vicissitudes lungs as well as airways. There are few
changes which occurs suddenly and have a long lasting impact over human body. It has also
been seen that pneumonia and cold are also caused by smoking and vaping. Few more
chronic changes occurring in our body are emphysema which is a permanent damage to the
lungs. Some serious changes that lungs go through due to smoking are as follows-
Smoking causes serious lung infection causing the production of more mucus. When the
smoke produces the cells starts producing mucus inside the lungs and hence the airways
grows in size as well as in numbers (Borland et al. 2019). Hence the mucus amount thickens
and increases.
The human lungs cannot clean all the mucus effectively and leads to mucus
decomposition inside the lungs and it gets clogged causing infection. Therefore, the lungs
start aging faster and defense mechanism also decreases. Smoking also irritates the lungs and

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causes the production of cough and irritation. It destroys the lung tissues and lungs and hence
the air spaces decrease as well as blood vessels in lungs resulting transport of less oxygen in
the blood. Due to smoke the function of cilia gets reduced and hence cleaning of the lungs
does not occurs (Fig 2).
Fig 2: effect of smoking in lungs
On other hand, Vaping also plays a role in lung damage as reported by Canadian
health department. Nearly 200, e-cigarette smokers have developed lung diseases and most of
them are young adults or teens. Vaping carriers an infectious agent causing irritation in lungs
or any allergic reaction inside it when the vapour is inhaled. This irritation leads to lung
damage as there is chest pain, breathing shortness and sometimes sever difficulty leads to
immediate admittance to the hospital (Braak et al., 2019). Mainly, impact of vaping is more
on those who already have lung problem. The vape vapor comprises harmful substances plus
very fine elements, which are inhaled into the lungs as well as exhaled in the environment.
Vaping leads to severe lung inflammation. Vaping causes COPD (Chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease) as well as lung cancer. It also leads to asthma making the situation of
lung worse. Breathing in of harmful chemicals from vaping causes few irreversible damage
towards lungs, lung diseases and also deaths. In few cases, vaping also leads to
cardiovascular disease as well as biological modifications that are linked with cancer
development (Fig 3).

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Fig 3: Vaping generate lung damage seen in emphysema
Explore as well as critically evaluating current health promotion strategies
Smoking introduction is a crucial behaviour that controls the upcoming health
penalties of smoking and vaping in a society. There is a noticeable alteration in smoking and
vaping configurations everywhere the world, that is determined by origination rates.
Recently, a new theory in the form of electronic cigarettes has augmented rapidly also has
opened a youths to a plethora of treacherous penalties (McNeill et al., 2019). E-cigarettes was
launched initially as a perception of control of tobacco nevertheless have raised a lot of
challenges. Framework that was implemented to control vaping and smoking are by
distancing from the people smoking and prevent oneself from getting influenced from it. It
can also be prevented by staying in the decision strong enough so that not to get influenced
from the smoke.
Canada have launched Tobacco strategy to control smoking and vaping. The
Government of Canada launched its legislative as well as regulatory efforts for protecting
youth plus non-smokers that includes execution of the recently endorsed Tobacco and Vaping
Act. It provides guidelines that is to be done in order to prevent health. Canada’s Tobacco
Strategy characterises an alteration towards a widespread as well as assimilated method to

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addressing tobacco usage. This health strategy would focus on broader population based
planning that is needed for achieving the aspiring target of 5% by 2035 (Aleyan et al., 2019).
This health promotion strategy focusses on the approaching lessening of damage that
helps the person finding trouble in inhibiting themselves from vaping or smoking. It invests
in research in addition to investigation, which would provide allowances and assistances
funding for supporting in this national challenge. In 2018 the budget was announced by
Canadian government was $80.5M for developing the strategy for building existing
possessions, bringing our total asset to roughly $330M in the coming five years. The tobacco
strategy suggests the health promotion plan can be successful educating the youths about
risks of vaping and smoking and series health defects due to this. It also suggests imposing
acquiescence for traders and manufacturers of tobacco and vaping products (McDermott et
al., 2019). It suggested that the more improvement in the research program for understanding
as well as strengthening law enforcement in combating Canada’s illegitimate market of
tobacco. The health promotion plan also imposes rules and guidelines that regulates the
vaping products, update the health warning communications and standardization of the
appearance measures. According to me, these necessary implantations in the strategic plan
would help in the improvement of the health promotion strategy plan that would further help
in the promotion and impact of the plan.
Hence this promotion strategy is helpful as it aims to normalise smoking actions in the
public having all interventions. Rapid decreases in smoking origination in youths was
recognised for comprehensive tobacco control programmes in Canada. Constant and
inexorable data from multiple sources seems to be vital towards success. However, the
Canada still experience indicates that the speedy decline in adolescent smoking would stop if
the expenditure of the tobacco control and price of e-cigar and cigarettes are reduced
(Azagba, Baskerville & Foley, 2017). Even though the program is having an impact on the

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population of the Canada but the lower price of cigarettes is still drawing many youths
towards it. Hence, government need to see the issue and series steps must be taken for
preventing it.
Expand and addition upon the health strategy as well as indicating the
needs for addition
Tobacco strategy of Canada have put a serious impact over the community, however
still the promotional plan has some points lack that needs to be looked at. In my health
perspective Tobacco strategy plan in Canada need to have some addition in their plans. The
new addition would help in better improvement of the health promotional strategic plans that
is necessary for the further development and prevention of the strategic policies (Stanwick &
Past president of the Canadian Paediatric Society, 2015).
The Tobacco health strategy only focussed on youth and adult youths. However, there
are many cases where students start in taking tobacco from school level. So it is important to
provide the education related to harmful effects of tobacco from school level as mentioned in
the Figure 1 of Appendix. It is highly necessary that the student mist know the impact and
change their way of thinking. Individual knowledge is highly important for an individual to
develop proper knowledge, skill and attitude towards betterment of the policies.
It has also been noticed that the tobacco strategy of Canada is lacking in interpersonal
skill. There are many people who are unware of the fact that intake of tobacco us harmful.
Therefore, knowledge is very important so that people can understand the harm they are
doing to their body (Volesky et al., 2016). Educating people about Tobacco effect as well as
about the health promotion can be achieved through social networking. It has also been
noticed that people lack the knowledge of passive smokers, that means that people sitting
next to the smoking also gets affected the smoke. Hence, smoking and vaping not only affects
smokers but also to those who are siting next to them. Society and environment plays

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important role by imposing taxes and making some smoke free laws that would help in
prevent smoking. The harmful smoking effects as well the health promotional strategy can be
promoted through the inference of media.
The ecological model in the Appendix would indicate that my interventions are useful
and can help in the prevention of smoking and vaping. It clearly demonstrates some
informative tools that is necessary.
Conclusion
Health effects due to vaping and smoking is very high. Vaping as well smoking both
have string negative influence over lungs. Lung damage have increased in Canada along with
the increase in smoking and vaping. Canadian government have taken necessary steps to
prevent it. The heath promotional strategy launched in 2018 have started showing its impact.
However, due to low price of cigarettes people have continued to buy it on other hand few
youths have an idea that the vaping is not harmful as smoking. However, their idea is wrong
as both of them have strong impacts over health. Vaping substance incudes toxic
nanoparticles, toxic chemicals that are carcinogens and hence leads to chronic pulmonary
diseases.

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Appendix
Fig 1: showing ecological model for smoking