Issue of Smoking Term Paper

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Smoking and Lung Disease

Smoking is a hazardous habit that has the ability to greatly affect the health of the smoker and those that are close to them. The purpose of this discussion is to investigate smoking and lung disease. The discussion will focus on possible community health nursing interventions/teaching strategies. We will also use Orem's nursing model to describe the community, its health issue/problem, and proposed interventions.

Community and Health issue

The community in question is Grady County which is located in Chickasha, Oklahoma. Smoking is a prevalent problem in this community and people are seemingly unaware of the health consequences related to smoking. The reason why this issue was chosen was due to my mother having Severe Emphysema and the effects this disease has on her, also because of the impact that second hand smoking can have on non-smokers For example, I am Deathly Allergic to Smoking. My airway closes off and I break out in hives all over my body, due to this, I have to carry an Epi-Pen at all times.

Description of the issue/problem

Smoking has long been correlated with the development of lung disease (Albaum et al., 2002). There are several forms of lung disease that have been associated with smoking including emphysema and lung cancer (Albaum et al., 2002). In recent weeks lung cancer has been at the forefront of discussion across the country. This is due in part to the death of Peter Jennings who was a long-term smoker and died of lung cancer only a few months after diagnosis. According to the American Lung Association,

"Lung cancer is the leading cancer killer in both men and women in the United States. In 1987, it surpassed breast cancer to become the leading cause of cancer deaths in women.

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1 Lung cancer causes more deaths than the next three most common cancers combined (colon, breast and prostate). An estimated 163,510 deaths from lung cancer will occur in the United States during 2005 (American Lung Association, 2005)."

The American Lung Association also reports that between the years 1979 and 2002 deaths caused by lung cancer increased 60%. In addition, the report explains that men were at a greater risk of dying from lung cancer than are women (American Lung Association, 2005). In addition African-American's were 12% more likely to die from lung cancer than the rest of the population. Finally the association explains that 87% of those suffering from lung cancer are smokers (American Lung Association, 2005). The remaining percentage usually contracts lung disease from pollutants in the air mainly second hand smoke.

Second hand smoke is particularly harmful to women and children. In children it can cause asthma and other respiratory problems. In fact the National Cancer Institute asserts that "Secondhand smoke is responsible for an estimated 3,000 lung cancer deaths among U.S. nonsmokers each year (Cigarette Smoking and Cancer, 2004)." In women second hand smoke is more likely to cause lung cancer than in men. It is believed that because women have smaller lungs they are less able to eliminate toxins.

The spread of lung disease as a result of smoking is so prevalent because the Nicotine found in cigarettes is highly addictive. According to a research report published by The National Institute of Drug Abuse the majority of cigarettes sold in the United States contain on average10 milligrams of nicotine. This means that the average smoker inhales 1 to 2 milligrams of nicotine per cigarette. The research report also states that "nicotine is absorbed through the skin.....

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