Lessening the prevalence of unhealthy behaviors or practices, specifically the habit of smoking, should certainly be among the top priorities of health care professionals and policy makers. To further emphasize the extent and gravity of the concern, it would be best to point out the most common repercussions acquired from smoking. Terminal illnesses such as lung cancer as well as other pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases are often cited as the most severe effects of such an unhealthy habit (American Lung Association [ALA], 2010).
Hence, developing and implementing means so as to lessen the number of individuals who smoke would definitely be a vital step in improving the health of the population. However, conceptualizing effective approaches to problems about smoking is expectedly a challenging task especially since communities of different socioeconomic status would of course require different methods and solutions. To support such a point, Najman, Toloo, and Siskind’s (2006) findings highlight the fact that the transition into healthier practices from those regarded as unhealthy occur at a slower pace among poorer communities.
As an agreement between health care practitioners and policy makers is required in order to construct an efficient solution (Siegel & Doner, 2004), attempts to design a suitable method of hastening the pace in which the percentage of smokers in a given population is lessened should be carefully accomplished. Hence, instead of merely providing access to information regarding the consequences of smoking or allowing individuals to be freely involved with cessation programs, a more specific analysis is without doubt necessary.
Specifically, information on cultural aspects as well as the demographics of a given of community should be assessed so as to ensure success in reducing the prevalence of smoking. Therefore, while a generalized approach may be less time consuming and costly than a specifically tailored method, it is vital to remember that the goal of practically eliminating unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking, in the nearest possible time is of utmost importance.
References
American Lung Association. (2010). Smoking. Retrieved from http://www. lungusa. org/stop- smoking/about-smoking/health-effects/smoking. html. Najman, J. M. , Toloo, G. , & Siskind, V. (2006). Socioeconomic Disadvantage and Changes in Health Risk Behaviors in Australia: 1989 – 90 to 2001. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 84(12), 976 – 984. Siegel, M. & Doner, L. (2004). Marketing Public Health: Strategies to Promote Social Change. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.