Running head: PLANNING YOUR VISIT 1
Policy Priority Issue
It is no secret that smoking kills. In fact, smoking is the leading cause of preventable
death in the United States and worldwide. If Americans younger than eighteen continue to
smoke, 5.6 million of them will die early from smoking-related diseases (CDC, 2016). The
policy priority issue that will be discussed in this paper is smoking cessation for all school-aged
children but with a special emphasis on middle and high school students. Most adult smokers
started smoking before they turned eighteen years old. The strategy is to implement school based
programs that will deter children and teenagers from using tobacco products. These programs
could become the best way to prevent tobacco use in adults. The school board member that will
be contacted in order to implement this kind of education is David Scanga. Mr. Scanga is the
Area Superintendent of Central Pasco County.
Key Points
Even with all of the information about smoking readily available to the public, smoking
is still the leading cause of disease and death. As of February 2016, sixteen million people in the
United States have a smoking related disease, 480,000 United States citizens die annually from
smoking, six million people worldwide die annually, and 42,000 United States citizens die every
year from second hand smoke.
Smoking related diseases include cardiovascular disease, cancer, stroke, lung diseases
such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis, a decreased
immune system, rheumatoid arthritis, an increased risk for tuberculosis, blindness, dementia,
peripheral vascular disease that can lead to amputations, deafness, erectile dysfunction, and
, premature death (CDC, 2016; Abikoye, Kashimawo, & Eze, 2013). Experts have expressed that
smoking can decrease life expectancy by approximately ten years (Abikoye et al., 2013).
Currently, there are laws in place that make it illegal for people under the age of eighteen
to buy cigarettes or any tobacco products. There are also many antismoking campaigns and
programs geared towards the youth. There are not any laws that need to be changed but there is
some revamping that needs to be done in regards to antismoking education. Therefore,
government involvement is not needed at this time. However, this issue does involve school
board leaders. There are a million and one antismoking campaigns and education programs
geared towards teenagers. Yet, when asked, 26.6 percent of seniors in high school say they
smoked a tobacco product in the last thirty days (Netemeyer, Burton, Andrews, & Kees, 2016).
This information alone is proof enough that high school students need a different, more effective
approach in order to completely deter them from smoking.
Empirical Evidence
Antismoking education needs to begin in preschool and really ramp up in middle and
high school. Antismoking education and campaigns should begin as early as preschool so that
these children grow up hearing about how bad smoking is for their health. Unfortunately children
are very impressionable and they will mimic behaviors they see from their role models, usually
parents and their peers (Faletau, Glover, Nosa, & Pienaar, n.d.). Children may not fully grasp
what smoking is at such young ages but they will be able to recognize the action and associate
that it is bad or good. School systems need to take advantage of this impressionable stage, those
that can be influenced that smoking is bad will vehemently protest against people smoking. That
is, until they become impressionable adolescents/teenagers. This age is when peer pressure
skyrockets, hormones become imbalanced, and emotions are all over the place.
Policy Priority Issue
It is no secret that smoking kills. In fact, smoking is the leading cause of preventable
death in the United States and worldwide. If Americans younger than eighteen continue to
smoke, 5.6 million of them will die early from smoking-related diseases (CDC, 2016). The
policy priority issue that will be discussed in this paper is smoking cessation for all school-aged
children but with a special emphasis on middle and high school students. Most adult smokers
started smoking before they turned eighteen years old. The strategy is to implement school based
programs that will deter children and teenagers from using tobacco products. These programs
could become the best way to prevent tobacco use in adults. The school board member that will
be contacted in order to implement this kind of education is David Scanga. Mr. Scanga is the
Area Superintendent of Central Pasco County.
Key Points
Even with all of the information about smoking readily available to the public, smoking
is still the leading cause of disease and death. As of February 2016, sixteen million people in the
United States have a smoking related disease, 480,000 United States citizens die annually from
smoking, six million people worldwide die annually, and 42,000 United States citizens die every
year from second hand smoke.
Smoking related diseases include cardiovascular disease, cancer, stroke, lung diseases
such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis, a decreased
immune system, rheumatoid arthritis, an increased risk for tuberculosis, blindness, dementia,
peripheral vascular disease that can lead to amputations, deafness, erectile dysfunction, and
, premature death (CDC, 2016; Abikoye, Kashimawo, & Eze, 2013). Experts have expressed that
smoking can decrease life expectancy by approximately ten years (Abikoye et al., 2013).
Currently, there are laws in place that make it illegal for people under the age of eighteen
to buy cigarettes or any tobacco products. There are also many antismoking campaigns and
programs geared towards the youth. There are not any laws that need to be changed but there is
some revamping that needs to be done in regards to antismoking education. Therefore,
government involvement is not needed at this time. However, this issue does involve school
board leaders. There are a million and one antismoking campaigns and education programs
geared towards teenagers. Yet, when asked, 26.6 percent of seniors in high school say they
smoked a tobacco product in the last thirty days (Netemeyer, Burton, Andrews, & Kees, 2016).
This information alone is proof enough that high school students need a different, more effective
approach in order to completely deter them from smoking.
Empirical Evidence
Antismoking education needs to begin in preschool and really ramp up in middle and
high school. Antismoking education and campaigns should begin as early as preschool so that
these children grow up hearing about how bad smoking is for their health. Unfortunately children
are very impressionable and they will mimic behaviors they see from their role models, usually
parents and their peers (Faletau, Glover, Nosa, & Pienaar, n.d.). Children may not fully grasp
what smoking is at such young ages but they will be able to recognize the action and associate
that it is bad or good. School systems need to take advantage of this impressionable stage, those
that can be influenced that smoking is bad will vehemently protest against people smoking. That
is, until they become impressionable adolescents/teenagers. This age is when peer pressure
skyrockets, hormones become imbalanced, and emotions are all over the place.
