Paper Example on Dangers of Secondhand Smoke on Infants' Health

Introduction

Secondhand smoke is any smoke that is exhaled by a person smoking tobacco, marijuana, or other substances. Today, secondhand smoke is considered a major healthcare issue, especially due to its negative impact on the health of children. The negative health impact of secondhand smoke is not instantaneous but instead, it can take months or years to be manifested in a person. The public should be enlightened on the dangers of secondhand smoke to young children, such as the formation of respiratory health complications, in order to promote the overall wellbeing of infants and children during their day-to-day lives.

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Historical Background of the Subject

According to the CDC Factsheet, secondhand smoke during pregnancy contributes to the death of over 1,000 infants annually (CDC, 2020). The CDC report also cites that secondhand smoke has over 7,000 chemicals among which 70 can make people develop cancerous cells (CDC, 2020). Also, according to the CDC, Surgeon General Report cited that approximately 2.5 million people who were non-smokers have died since 1964 due to secondhand smoke (CDC, 2020). Additionally, secondhand smoke leads to over 34,000 premature deaths due to heart disease each year (CDC, 2020). As such, it is conclusive that secondhand smoke is a critical healthcare issue that places the lives of young children at risk.

Discussion of How the Issue Places a Child at Risk

Proper smoking behavior is imperative in promoting the health and wellness of infants or young children. Additionally, that is because secondhand smoke contributes to the development of numerous healthcare complications among infants and children. The most frequent of such health complications due to secondhand smoke include ear infections, respiratory infections, asthma attacks as well as sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) (Tsai et al., 2018). Past research has also ascertained that children whose mothers smoke while pregnant or those who are exposed to secondhand smoke develop weaker lungs compared to other babies (Rosen & Kostjukovsky, 2015). Subsequently, such weaker lungs expose infants to a wide range of complicated healthcare respiratory medical conditions.

Interventions

There are several effective measures or strategies that can be employed to substantially reduce the exposure of secondhand smoke on infants or young children. The first strategy should to avoid smoking if an individual is expectant. Past scientific research has certified that there are a number of adverse health side effects to a mother and child that are associated with smoking during pregnancy (Lockhart et al., 2017). Additionally, this protects the life of the unborn child and also promotes the baby's health after delivery. The second intervention should be to prohibit smoking at home or near the baby. Particularly, this is an intervention that should be performed by parents or guardians of the child.

The third strategy is for an individual to stop smoking if he/she is already addicted to the smoked substance. People with young children should also attend non-smoking only establishments such as hotels or restaurants when vacationing with their families. Also, nicotine replacement therapies such as nicotine patch, inhaler, gum, lozenges and nasal spray can be used in this case for assisting smoking cessation. In the fourth intervention, pediatric care practitioners should educate parents with young children on the dangers of exposing their children to secondhand smoke. Collectively, the implementation of such interventions can ensure that infants and young children are not exposed to secondhand smoke.

Treatment

There is no certified drug that can be considered to be the curative element of secondhand smoking. However, the primary treatment modality for environmental tobacco smoking exposure (ETS) or secondhand smoke is the avoidance of the smoked substances. Avoidance is the most and only effective treatment modality for ETS and it can be challenging for families. Nevertheless, with the right education about the dangers of secondhand smoking, avoidance in family units can be achieved. Also, assistance with smoking cessation can also be considered an effective methodology of mediating the dangers of ETS among infants or young children.

Resources

There are a number of organizations that can be employed as effective resources for enabling people addicted to smoking in coping with cessation. In this case, such organizations include the BeTobaccoFree.gov, Americans for Nonsmoker's Rights as well as Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids among others CITATION Tob20 \l 1033 (Tobacco Portal , 2020). Also, all the stated organizations play a key role in ensuring that safe tobacco use is promoted in the society. Additionally, that is as an effective methodology of preventing the adverse effects of smoking on the health of the public.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is evident that the public should be enlightened on the dangers of secondhand smoke to young children. Additionally, that is because secondhand smoke contributes to the formation of respiratory health complications, in order to promote the overall wellbeing of infants and children during their day-to-day lives. There are several interventions that can be employed to ensure that infant or children's health is not placed at risk due to secondhand smoking. Such interventions include avoiding smoking when expectant and prohibiting smoking near a child's environment. Other interventions include quitting smoking if an individual is an addict and ensuring that pediatric care practitioners educate parents about the dangers of secondhand smoke on their children.

References

CDC. (2020). Health Effects of Secondhand Smoke. Retrieved from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/secondhand_smoke/health_effects/index.htm

Lockhart, F., Liu, A., Champion, B. L., Peek, M. J., Nanan, R., & Poulton, A. S. (2017). The Effect of Cigarette Smoking during Pregnancy on Endocrine Pancreatic Function and Fetal Growth: A Pilot Study. Frontiers in public health, 5, 314. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2017.00314

Rosen, L., & Kostjukovsky, I. (2015). Parental risk perceptions of child exposure to tobacco smoke. BMC Public Health, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-015-1434-x

Tobacco Portal . (2020). Tobacco Control Organizations. Retrieved from Tobacco Portal Georgia State University: https://tobacco.publichealth.gsu.edu/solutions/organizations/

Tsai, J., Homa, D. M., Gentzke, A. S., Mahoney, M., Sharapova, S. R., Sosnoff, C. S., Caron, K. T., Wang, L., Melstrom, P. C., & Trivers, K. F. (2018). Exposure to secondhand smoke among Nonsmokers - United States, 1988-2014. MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 67(48), 1342-1346. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6748a3

Appendix

Fact Sheet 1

Face sheet: Agency or Program Name BeTobaccoFree.gov

Agency's Physical Address U.S. Department of Health & Human Services200 Independence Avenue, S.W.Washington, D.C. 20201

Agency or Program's web address https://betobaccofree.hhs.gov/

Agency or Program description The organization is managed by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services in promoting public efforts to control tobacco consumption.

Agency or Program's Contact Name and Number Toll Free Call Center: 1-800-368-1019TTD Number: 1-800-537-769

Additional Information There is no other significant information about the organization

Interview Jefferson a support staff at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services stated that the BeTobaccoFree.gov offers financial support to small organization supporting the campaign for tobacco use control in the United States

Fact Sheet 2

Face sheet: Agency or Program Name Americans for Nonsmokers Rights

Agency's Physical Address Organization operations are largely online and it does not have a defined physical address

Agency or Program's web address https://no-smoke.org/

Agency or Program description The program creates a comprehensive control guideline on how to prevent the negative effects of tobacco smoking to people's health

Agency or Program's Contact Name and Number Organization can be contacted through a contact form at https://no-smoke.org/about-us/contact-us/

Additional Information The organization has online retail outlets where it retails products like lapel pins to raise funds for supporting its organizational operations.

Interview Susan a support representative during an interview stated that the organization has been effective in raising awareness on the negative side effects of tobacco consumption.

Fact Sheet 3

Face sheet: Agency or Program Name Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

Agency's Physical Address Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids1400 I Street NW, Suite 1200,Washington, DC 20005United States of America

Agency or Program's web address https://www.tobaccofreekids.org

Agency or Program description United States founded organization focused on reducing the level of tobacco use in the society.

Agency or Program's Contact Name and Number Tel.: +1.202.296.5469Fax: +1.202.296.5427

Additional Information The program advocates for safe tobacco use behavior to promote the health and wellbeing of children.

Interview Adam is a support staff at Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. During an online interview with him, Adam stated that the organization was founded in 1995 and it has been successful in reducing the levels of tobacco consumption in the United States since its inception.

Project Outline

• Introduction
• Explanation of how secondhand smoking is a healthcare issue that needs to be addressed
• Historical Background on the Subject
• Historical impact of secondhand smoke to the health of the public in the past
• Discussion of How the Issue Plays a Child At Risk
• Explanation of the harmful health effects of smoking on children
• Interventions
• Interventions to ensure that children's health is not placed at risk due to secondhand smoke
• Treatment
• Discussion of effective medical modality for secondhand smoking
• Resources
• Outline of three resources that can support smoking cessation