Understanding the Smoking Patterns in the United States (Research Paper Sample)

Name:
Instructor:
Course:
Date:
Table of Contents
1 Abstract…………………………………………………………………………….3
2 Introduction………………………………………………………………………...3
3 Teenage Smoking Trends…………………………………………………………..4
4 Secondhand Smoke Exposure Trends and Patterns………………………………...4
5 Health Effects……………………………………………………………………….4
6 Behavior Quitting Patterns…………………………………………………………..5
7 Mitigation……………………………………………………………………………6
8 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………...6
9 Works Cited…………………………………………………………………… ……7
Abstract
Smoking and tobacco use lead in the cause of the majority of preventable and avoidable diseases and deaths globally. Doctors and health care providers posit that smoking affects the health of smokers in general and cite the behavior to harm almost all body parts. Indeed, smoking and tobacco use not only affects the smokers, but people around them, and affects the ecosystem too in terms of littering and atmospheric intoxication. Smoking and tobacco use are rampant in the United States more so in the metropolitan cities and States with a worrying trend of higher prevalence among teenagers and young adults. Government and stakeholders in healthcare place much emphasis on understanding the trends, causes and plausible mitigation strategies in a bid to minimize the behavior nationally and especially to the individuals in this productive age bracket. Ideally, understanding the critical and medical issues associated with teenage smoking creates a platform for the government and other stakeholders to focus on regulative, consultative and meditative measures that minimize the behavior and enhance health benefits in the long run. This study intends to supplement the existing literature on teenage smoking in the United States.
Introduction
Smoking and tobacco use range from smokeless tobacco, cigars, and cigarettes among other substances abused by smoking such as bhang, shisha, etc. Peer influence and tobacco industry’s marketing practices contribute to the high prevalence levels among the teens who are eager to experiment new life experiences that in turn lead to addiction. Smoking trends and prevalence differ across the racial groups, but share the overall impact of dangers across the nation. Medically, healthcare workers explain the variations of individual’s smoking debut, the rate of addiction and prevalence, the associated environmental hazard and impacts to people around them, the dangers and mortality rate, and chances of quitting and behavior change. These factors vary in teens across the racial groups, and understanding the prospects goes a long way to devising mitigation measures.
Teenage Smoking Trends
Community health workers in conjunction with statistics experts in the health sector try to categorize teenage smoking trends into racial groups to understand the prevalence rates, addiction and debut, comorbidity, overall health impacts, and the behavior change patterns. The United States Department of Health and Human Services (2015) observed that the African Americans smoke less and debut the habit at an older age compared to the white Americans, Hispanics, and other groups. Also, the study found that despite the African American’s delayed debut age and low rates of prevalence, they possessed highest addiction rates and higher mortality rates from smoking-related diseases compared to others (pp.3-11).
Secondhand Smoke Exposure Trends and Patterns
The Department of Health and Human Services found significant rates of exposure to the secondary smokers, with notable numbers within the African American households compared to white and Hispanic households. For instance, from year 2011 to 2012, the African Americans households exhibited highest rates of secondary exposure to a tune of 68% of children aged between 3-11 years, 55% of adolescents aged 12-19 years, and 40% of young adults aged 20 years and older, compared to others who exhibited lowest rates (pp.11-12). Theorists and demographics experts validate the findings on the basis of African American’s economic backgrounds, their social-cultural interactions, and the presence high cotinine levels in nonsmokers’ systems compared to other races, a medical indication of recent exposure to tobacco smoke (Stock et.al p.237).
Health Effects
Teenage smoking in the United States is on the rise with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) citing smoking and tobacco use as the major contributors to the leading killer diseases. The centers observe that of the majority of lifestyle diseases, diabetes, heart disease, cancer and stroke, smoking and tobacco use significantly contributes to the risk of these complications with an estimated rate of 30%-40% for smokers compared to non-smokers (CDC pp.3-5). Addiction to nicotine, early cardiovascular damage, reduced lung growth and functioning, ...