Across the globe, smoking has become a severe public health issue. Over the years, smoking has adopted a pandemic nature leading to a high number of diseases, disabilities, and even death. Smoking tobacco has resulted in almost 7 million deaths that could have been avoided in different counties. Several kinds of research indicate that death rates are expected to double due to increased smoking among the young and old generations. In Northern Ireland, around 38,000 individuals in the young generation brackets between the age of 17 smoke (Sunday, Hanafin, and Clancy, 2021). The activity is not limited to the young generation; adult men and women are also involved. Active smokers do not only pose health risks to themselves but also to other individuals who are passive smokers. This may result in stroke, heart disease, asthma, cancer, and even bronchitis. The disorders mentioned also cause many deaths in a preventable year. Smoking is the main factor behind health inequalities in societies with lower socioeconomic standards. This paper expounds on smoking as a public health issue in north Ireland its impacts, and public health policy interventions put in place to manage the concerns, discuss the health promotion theories and their implications, and the roles of adult nurse health educators and health promoters within the interprofessional team application on the health promotion theories and models.
With continued increased smoking rates, it Is difficult to provide a rational explanation of the reasons behind the addiction. According to Ekpu, most smokers know the deadly effects of smoking, and as much as they acknowledge not enjoying it, obsession will not let them stop (2015). The strong addiction is caused by nicotine, which makes an individual develop smoking urges. Therefore, the government of North Ireland has been working to ensure reduced smoking among its citizens since it is the primary cause of avoidable diseases. Besides, smoking affects an individual’s health and costs a nation, leading to reduced productivity, poverty, increased crime rates, health problems, and environmental pollution. Several pieces of evidence exist linking smoking to vascular diseases and organ damage. One may also have respiratory infections, for example, pneumonia. Cummings states that the mortality rate of active smokers is estimated to be 65-85 percent higher than non-smokers (1997).
Through this, societies in North Ireland are left devastated as most of the income goes to buying cigarettes. Smoking also results in fertility issues in both women and men. During pregnancy, a smoking mother may expose herself to risks such as miscarriage, giving birth to an underdeveloped baby, respiratory problems, and even neonatal death. Some babies may develop mental issues after birth. Besides nicotine, tobacco smoke also has biological and chemical toxins, including carcinogens, tobacco-specific nitrosamines, and benzopyrene, which are very harmful. With such health, economic and social threats on the effects of smoking, there is a need for more awareness of the potential dangers of smoking hence a healthier generation. North Ireland has therefore started its journey toward prevalence reduction by banning tobacco advertisements and offering cessation services to active smokers willing to quit smoking. There have also been campaigns on health promotion, education on the health effects of tobacco, the rise in the prices of cigarettes, and development policies to ensure workplaces are non-smoking zones( Sunday, Hanafin, and Clancy, 2021).
Health promotions are vital in the steps taken to reduce the rate of smoking and its health effects. A thorough and continuous awareness and public education of people using health promotion methods and theories are crucial to preventing and ceasing smoking. Increased efforts were placed on health promotion concerning tobacco as a public issue in Northern Ireland and the adverse health effects that could result from quitting smoking among users (Li, Levy, and Clancy, 2018). In this case, health professionals can help reduce the number of smokers by providing knowledge of smoking cessation methods. Various methods are being utilized to help prevent and prevent smoking. According to an evaluation of some health promotion interventions, positive effects have been recorded on smoking prevalence reduction.
Despite some low effectiveness, continuous research is being conducted to weigh on the vital health promoters’ interventions. Some interventions include accessing people through mass media and social media, providing peer education, mobilizing communities, and proper advocacy on smoking. However, some scholars argue that it is more challenging to implement individual behavioral interventions than attitudinal and environmental interventions. Some of the theories and models used in health promotion include; behavioral approaches, self-determination, Transtheoretical Model, Intervention Based Model, and Ecological Model (Golechha, 2016).
Several Behavioral Change Theories are used in health promotions to ensure the health standards of people are maintained. Behavioral Change Theories explain why some individuals acquire particular health behaviors while others do not. The theories primarily assess the precursor and predators of health behaviors and must contain the same elements, for example, motivation and self-efficiency. Critics have been established on these theories for focusing more on individual behaviors rather than sociocultural, environmental, economic, and political factors that may have influenced the behaviors (Golechha, 2016). When these theories are used in health promotions, it is easier to understand the smoker’s motivation and how the actions give them self-efficiency. Through this, it is easier to help the individual quit smoking.in these theories, the cognitive process of the smoker is the main focus.
Another health promotion theory is Self Determination Theory (SDT). SDT is a personality theory that also involves behavioral factors. This main theory focuses on what motivates a person’s choices, and its inspiration is intrinsic motivation, which is more satisfying and interesting than external motivation. According to this theory, intrinsic motivation allows an individual to search for a personal challenge that enables them to grow(Gelius, 2022). When used as a tool in health promotions to help prevent an increased smoking population, the theory provides an internal challenge regarding smoking, and this helps most smokers to quit.
Transtheoretical Model (TTM) is also a health promotion model and an intervention that helps in the evaluation of the readiness of an individual to change their negative Health-related behaviors to positive ones. This model considers change process, decision, and self-efficacy important (Roe, 2018). The model was established by analyzing several psychotherapy models, and it has five concepts: change stages, change process, balancing of decisions, self-efficiency, and temptation. Compared to the other two, TTM mainly focuses on Health-related interventions, not personal or cognitive functions.
Tannahill developed the intervention Based model in 1980. The model had three overlapping spheres: health education, prevention, and protection. In this sphere, there has been colossal implication on health as promotions in the health education sphere help transform people’s beliefs, knowledge, behavior, and attitude of people in the way they view their health. Disease prevention focuses on reducing risk factors and minimizing the effects of the disease (Golechha, 2016). It also includes prevention at primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. On the other hand, health protections aim at legal or fiscal control and policies and practices that are voluntary that is used in ill health prevention and promoting well-being. Health protection strategies include education, proper housing, and employment.
Lastly, the ecological model of health promotion is a model that acknowledges several factors that influence behavior which include; interpersonal, interpersonal, institutional and organizational, community, and public policy factors. The model is an essential framework that understands the various factors that affect a person’s health and well-being. It provides a perspective of factors that result in particular health behaviors and social health determinants (Raingruber, 2014). Due to this, the ecological model is used in health promotion to integrate other theories and models hence developing comprehensive disease prevention or health promotion policies or programs. Through these models and approaches used in health promotions, smokers are encouraged to quit smoking, which helps reduce stress and increase their happiness and life satisfaction.
Public health policy is laws, actions, regulations, and decisions established to ensure the wellness and meeting of health goals set. It is important for the safety and wellness of people in society. Depending on specific societal needs, health policy provides well-established goals and solutions for better health. In North Ireland, research indicated that seven out of ten active smokers stated that their smoking habits began before age sixteen (McKee, Hervey, and Gilmore, 2010). There have been several health policies have been developed to help in reducing smoking and its health impacts. Public health officials in North Ireland have placed measures on tobacco use to help in reducing death rates and diseases that result from smoking. The tobacco prices were increased, and tobacco-free areas in the locality were created to help protect the passive smokers or the non-smokers from the impacts of secondary degree smoking. According to Allwright, Article 8 of the World Health Assembly’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, Ireland banned smoking in all enclosed workplaces (2004). Such places included restaurants, factories, and even pubs.
Through such bans, there has been a slightly reduced number of diseases and deaths caused by smoking, and even the number of users hence slightly reduced. These orders provide a measure of protecting employees in working places and public places from being exposed to secondhand smoke, which helped create a non-smoking society. Regulations were also placed to increase the smoking age from 16-18 years( Lewis, 2005). The health policies also ensure that smoke cessation assistance is provided to those who quit smoking, establish programs that monitor young people and prevent them from smoking, and protect non-smokers from secondhand smoke. Strict laws have also been aced regarding purchase and usage (McKee, Hervey, and Gilmore, 2010). Producers of tobacco are also advised on a mandatory advertisement on the minimum age for smoking and provision of health effects warning on their products packages.
According to studies conducted, high taxation on tobacco has reduced the smoking rate among the lower income individuals and the youth and smoking restrictions in work and public places (Paoletti, 2012, Levy et al., 2018). Through health policy, health economics has contributed a lot to the wellness of public health through the evaluation of public health and its methods. The evaluation is helpful in public health as it has helped achieve particular health goals. Engaging in smoking activities results in illness and mismanagement of the smokers’ resources. Public health policy helps to reduce the amount of money spent on treating smoking-related diseases. Also, the money used to purchase cigarettes improves individuals and their society (Campos and Reich, 2019).
Adult nurse health educators and health promoters play essential roles within the interprofessional team regarding smoking as a public health concern. According to research, interprofessional collaboration and teamwork help improve patient results and healthcare access. Health educators and promoters involved in serving patients effectively tend to have high satisfaction in their work compared to those not involved in this process (Swanson, 2020). Interprofessional collaboration and teamwork help develop cohesive practice between professionals from different disciplines. Through this process, the health educators and promoters are positioned to reflect and develop strategies that provide cohesive and integrated answers to the needs of the society they are working in health-wise. Therefore, these professionals are essential in ensuring improved outcomes for underserved communities.
By providing education and awareness on smoking as a health concern, these professionals help protect the children and adult non-smokers in society, which act as their role in preventing avoidable diseases besides treating the affected victims. There have been increased healthcare transformations, so prevention methods are needed more than treatment options (Pierce, White, and Emery, 2012). Adult nurse health educators and promoters also utilize evidence-based research and recommendations to improve their patient’s health (Franklin et al., 2015). They act as the catalysts of encouraging people to adopt a healthier lifestyle through education, sensitization, providing preventive services, screening, counseling, and performing precautionary procedures that are effective for smokers to help them quit and improve their health. Another role in health promotion and prevention of diseases caused by smoking is to guide in places such as schools, public offices, communities, and clinics. All these activities are practiced by incorporating health promotion models that look at the cognitive process, behavior changes, motivation, self-efficacy, and self-determination behind the start of smoking.
Screening and medication, education, guidance, counseling, and proving essential ways to quit smoking help addicts thrive through recovery. Individuals need to be aware of the health defects of smoking and the economic losses they might experience in severe conditions (Government of UK, 2020). Therefore, the roles played by adult nurse health promoters and educators are vital within the interprofessional teams since various strategies and methods are discussed to ensure patient well-being are the priority.
In conclusion, smoking remains among the major public health issues in North Ireland. Despite the awareness and education, including health promotions, people have continued to smoke. The young generation is highly affected, and diseases linked to smoking, such as cancer, respiratory diseases, and miscarriages in pregnant, have now become predominant. Health policies regulating smoking activities have been put in place to help reduce its effect on non-smokers’ health and the nation’s economic status. Some of these policies include increasing the minimum smoking age from sixteen to eighteen, increasing taxation on tobacco products, banning smoking in public places and working places, and mandatory declaring of side effects and harmful health consequences of smoking tobacco products on the packets of the Products. Manufacturers and producers are also responsible for advertising the minimum age that is expected to consume their products, which helps reduce the number of smokers in society.in the promotion of health security to people, several theories and models are utilized to help explain how behavior change is achieved for smoking individuals. These theories and models include Behavioral Change Theories, Self Determination theory, Ecological model, Transtheoretical Model, and Intervention Based Model. Through these theories and models, interprofessional traits have been achieved among adult nurses, health educators, and promoters; such collaboration and teamwork result in better role play in ensuring the patient’s, and society’s health is maintained and prevented, and avoidable diseases are dealt with.
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