Comprehensive Smoke-Free Policy, Expert Essay Example

An Effective Current Health Policy: Comprehensive Smoke-Free Policy

The policy prohibiting smoking in public places is among the major current health policies. This policy had been adopted by a total of 36 states in the US by October 1, 2019 (National Cancer Institute, 2020). This policy prohibits individuals from smoking in various public places. Thus, the policy has been effective in reducing the number of health issues associated with smoking. This paper will focus on the components that contribute to its effectiveness. Additionally, the paper will address the factors that contributed to the development of this policy.

The effectiveness of this policy is enhanced by its components. The policy limits secondhand smoke (SHS) in workplaces. Thus, it prevents non-smokers from diseases and premature deaths related to SHS. Exposing individuals to SHS has a severe impact on their cardiovascular system in the short-term (National Cancer Institute, 2020). Additionally, exposure to SHS in the long-term results in lung cancer and coronary heart disease (Iloh & Collins, 2017). Exposing children to SHS might result in various health complications such as sudden infant death syndrome, acute respiratory infections, and slowed lung growth (National Cancer Institute, 2020).

The development of this policy was triggered by the publication of reports about the adverse effects of secondhand smoke on health. Thus, the government had to protect non-smokers from conditions associated with secondhand smoke. The administration believed that banning smoking in public places such as workplaces and hotels would minimize the level of exposure to secondhand smoke significantly. Therefore, non-smokers would be free from conditions attributed to exposure to SHS. Additionally, this policy was introduced to support the goal of Healthy People 2020. This goal could not be realized when the citizens are still exposed to secondhand smoke.

References

Iloh, G. U. P., & Collins, P. I. (2017). Awareness of health effects of exposure to secondhand smoke from cigarettes: A cross-sectional study of never-smoked adult primary care patients. Avicenna journal of medicine, 7(4), 164.

National Cancer Institute. (2020). Smoke-Free Workplace Rules and Laws. Retrieved from https://progressreport.cancer.gov/prevention/smoke_free_work