Medical Issue Policy Final

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Washington State University *

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106

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Sociology

Date

Feb 20, 2024

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1 Kayla Martin 4-23-23 Medical Issue Policy Paper Smoking/Vaping The social issue I am addressing is smoking and vaping and its impact within the healthcare system and society. Smoking and vaping are very prevalent within society, especially from a social standpoint. It is common but also dangerous and has a negative impact on health within individuals. Smoking has been found to be the leading cause of sudden cardiac death in the United States ( Cockerham. 2022. pg 31). More than 440,000 Americans die each year from other smoking-related diseases such as cancers in the lungs, esophagus, throat, blade, and cervix. Other common diseases include COPD, and chronic cardiovascular disease. For those that smoke, men lose an average of 13.5 years of their life, and for women 14.5. This is not small, our days are valuable and we can not afford to lose over ten years of our lives. As cigarettes went out of fashion a new modern type of smoking came on the market through e-cigarettes. These are equally as dangerous especially as it is relatively new and has not been tested for long-term side effects. In 2019, 2,800 people were hospitalized due to e-cigarettes and 68 of those people died from them. Even worse, e-cigarettes became trendy and has attracted large numbers of young adults due to the added fruit flavors ( Cockerham. 2022. pg 122). There are several determinants that go into smoking use and put people at higher risk. One scholarly journal found that these include those of low socioeconomic status, stressed individuals, mixed races and ethnicities, and those socially marginalized. In 2006 the World Health Survey found an estimated 41% of men over the age of 15 smoked, compared to 9% of women. They also found that those in poor populations purchase tobacco at high rates, poor rural

2 households in China reported 10% of expenditures on cigarettes (Hosseinpoor et al. 2011). For those who are already having a hard time making ends meet, 10% of income is a major portion to give up. Another study found a strong association between those who are less educated and experience more daily stress account for higher amounts of smoking (Jahnel et al. 2019). When it comes to smoking there is a major social factor that needs to be addressed. If you are surrounded by people that are smoking you are missing out on something if you don’t also smoke. This is similar to vaping, in social settings it is common for young adults and adolescents to request to “hit” each other’s vapes. One scholarly study found that in youth there was a 44% peer approval need for vaping (East et al. 2019). The social norm of smoking plays a major factor in how likely someone is to smoke or vape. Naturally, people are easily pressured and the need to appear “cool” or “normal” plays an important part. When interviewing thousands of students from 30 different schools, they found that students were affected by their friends’ behavior and their own perceptions of a larger group as a whole ( Ellickson et al. 2003) . Another study found that this peer influence is so strong that it is rare for adolescents to even start smoking without peer influence. They acknowledged that smoking is an important source for creating networks, and popularity is influenced by smoking. On average, smokers were found to be more popular, demonstrating a strong argument for smoking being a social event (Haas & Schaefer. 2014). In addition to peer influence, there are several sociological factors that affect the rates of smoking. Research has shown that low socioeconomic status is associated with increased cigarette smoking. This study found that smoking prevalence was at 31.6% among people with no high school diploma, 27.5% among those with a high school diploma, 25.1% among those with some college and no degree, and 10.8% among those with a bachelor’s degree. This trend

3 shows smoking was highest among those with low education, and decreased with more education (Garrett, B. 2019). Smoking was also higher among those in poverty at 41.1% among men with income below the poverty level and 23.7% among men with income above the poverty level. These trends were similar among women as well. Research shows a strong correlation between those with low socioeconomic status, putting them at higher risk of smoking (Garrett, B. 2019). Those of low socioeconomic status having higher rates of smoking puts them at higher risks of negative health effects. Smoking has health factors that include stroke, blindness, deafness, and vascular diseases. Smokers are found to have higher levels of pain and disability. It also reduces fertility (West, R. 2017). Not only that but smoking is a leading cause of sudden cardiac death in the United States. Smoking relates to lung cancer which is 8th among cancer deaths. Deaths from cancer account for 25% of cancer deaths among women ( Cockerham. 2022. pg 122). Smoking directly relates to increased health risks and even death making it a serious health issue. My policy recommendation for smoking/vaping is that communities should come together to protect those of low socioeconomic status from smoking/vaping use. It is clear that marginalized communities are at higher risk of consuming the products, as well as higher risks of the incidental health problems it comes with them. They should care about this as it places a hardship on the healthcare system. Due to the relief it gives people and the social aspect smoking/ vaping plays into people’s lives they may not want to quit, however, there needs to be resources available and a campaign big enough that it meets people where they are at. Studies have found that exercise helps with smoking use. My policy proposal would be for community offered and payed for health programs that exchange fitness memberships for participating in a campaign to stop smoking. One scholarly study found evidence that exercise reduced cigarette

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4 cravings and withdrawal symptoms (Linke et al. 2013). Providing this exchange for a healthy swap would give a healthy alternative to smoking while also tackling health issues that those of low socioeconomic statuses are at greater risk for, like obesity, various diseases, high blood pressure, and more ( Cockerham. 2022. pg 90). One study found that socioeconomic status is significantly associated with physical health. Improving physical health can improve lives in more ways than handling just the issue of smoking/vaping. In conclusion, smoking and vaping is a major health issue, there are many factors that play a part in the exposure to it but those at the highest risk are those with low socioeconomic statuses and being exposed to peers that also participate in the use of smoking/vaping products. My proposed policy would be community-funded programs that give those who smoke an opportunity to receive a fitness membership in exchange for participating in a smoking cessation program. This would give a healthy alternative and an incentive to stop smoking.

5 Works Cited Boardman, J. D., Blalock, C. L., & Pampel, F. C. (2010). Trends in the Genetic Influences on Smoking. Journal of Health and Social Behavior . https://doi.org/10.1177/0022146509361195 Cockerham, W. C. (2022). Medical sociology . Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. Cortese, D. K., Szczypka, G., Emery, S., Wang, S., Hair, E., & Vallone, D. (2018). Smoking Selfies: Using Instagram to Explore Young Women’s Smoking Behaviors. Social Media + Society . https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305118790762 East, K. A., Hitchman, S. C., McNeill, A., Thrasher, J. F., & Hammond, D. (2019). Social norms towards smoking and vaping and associations with product use among youth in England, Canada, and the US. Drug and Alcohol Dependence , 205 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2019.107635 Ellickson, P. L., Bird, C. E., Orlando, M., Klein, D. J., & McCaffrey, D. F. (2003). Social Context and Adolescent Health Behavior: Does School-Level Smoking Prevalence Affect Students’ Subsequent Smoking Behavior? Journal of Health and Social Behavior , 44 (4), 525–535. https://doi.org/10.2307/1519797 Garrett, B. (2019, June 13). Socioeconomic differences in cigarette smoking among sociodemographic groups . Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved May 6, 2023, from https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2019/18_0553.htm Haas, S. A., & Schaefer, D. R. (2014). With a Little Help from My Friends? Asymmetrical Social Influence on Adolescent Smoking Initiation and Cessation. Journal of Health and Social Behavior . https://doi.org/10.1177/0022146514532817

6 Hosseinpoor, A. R., Parker, L. A., Tursan d'Espaignet, E., & Chatterji, S. (2011). Social determinants of smoking in low- and middle-income countries: Results from the World Health Survey . PloS one. Retrieved May 5, 2023, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3105024/ Jahnel, T., Ferguson, S. G., Shiffman, S., & Schüz, B. (2019). Daily stress as link between disadvantage and smoking: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study - BMC Public Health . BioMed Central. Retrieved May 5, 2023, from https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-019-7631-2 Linke, S. E., Ciccolo, J. T., Ussher, M., & Marcus, B. H. (2013, January). Exercise-based smoking cessation interventions among women . Women's health (London, England). Retrieved May 6, 2023, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5718352/ Marron, D. (2017). Smoke gets in your eyes: what is sociological about cigarettes?. The Sociological Review . https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-954X.12404 West, R. (2017, August). Tobacco smoking: Health impact, prevalence, correlates and interventions . Psychology & health. Retrieved May 6, 2023, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5490618/#:~:text=Smoking%20is%20an%20im portant%20risk,and%20Human%20Services%2C%202004).

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