Assessment 01: Health Promotion Plan
NURSFPXWRITERS.COM
NURS-FPX 4060
Health Promotion Plan
Community health nurses examine local circumstances, identify dangers, and create tailored programs to promote population health. In this assignment, we must create a health promotion plan to help 48-year-old African American Mr. James Williams quit smoking. Mr. Williams represents an economically and environmentally stressed population with high smoking rates, limited healthcare access, and poor health. Work is tough and he lives in a poor neighborhood. This health promotion plan aims to reduce these inequities and improve Mr. Williams’ quality of life by prioritizing stopping smoking.
Scenario
Mr. James Williams, 48, is African and from a poor Chicago neighborhood. Since last 25 years, he smokes one pack daily. He rents an apartment alone and fixes automobiles for a small firm in his spare time. With his $30,000 salary and limited healthcare benefits, he struggles to afford medical care and cessation assistance. His job is hard, so he quit college after high school. Since his closest relatives live out of state, Mr. Williams has few family members. He struggles to avoid public smoking after doing it with coworkers during break. Mr. Williams smokes to relieve stress, especially during busy workdays, despite the health dangers. His strong addiction to smoking and withdrawal symptoms have kept him from stopping multiple times. Smoking gives Mr. Williams a persistent cough and shortness of breath, especially when climbing stairs.
Focus of Health Promotion Plan
The largest cause of preventable illness and death worldwide is tobacco usage. Despite awareness and prevention efforts, smoking still harms people and communities, especially the poor. Smoking-related diseases cost society, thus quitting tobacco is important for community health (Farcher et al., 2023). James Williams’ health, financial background, and lifestyle require targeted tobacco cessation. Consider the causes of this public health issue, the social and health benefits of quitting, the underlying attitudes, and the ambiguity that can affect remedy efficacy. Tobacco smoking harms public health. Smoking-related diseases include heart disease, COPD, lung cancer, and others increase morbidity and mortality. Effective smoking cessation programs are needed since half a million Americans die from smoking each year. Smoking causes secondhand smoke, which increases the risk of respiratory ailments in nonsmokers. Tobacco use lowers productivity and raises healthcare expenditures.
Mr. Williams’ hypertension and extended smoking history show tobacco’s negative effects. African American men from low-income neighborhoods have greater smoking rates and less healthcare access. Tobacco cessation in his demographic can reduce these inequities and improve community health. Research repeatedly reveals that smoking rates are higher in low-income neighborhoods due to high healthcare costs, lack of insurance, and limited tools to help smokers quit (Garg et al., 2022). Concerned about social isolation, employment insecurity, and neighborhood safety, these populations smoke more cigarettes to reduce stress. This shows that tobacco use is a coping method and a health risk for Mr. Williams’ community. Physical dependence and social and economic factors that support tobacco use must be addressed to combat smoking in this setting.
Mr. Williams demonstrates how numerous social and health issues affect smoking. His hypertension, cough, and breathing problems may be caused by smoking. Without treatment, he may have respiratory or heart issues. His efforts to quit are hampered by workplace smoking. This atmosphere promotes incentive loops that make cessation harder, hence targeted health promotion is needed.
Assumptions and Uncertainty
Traditional smoke cessation tactics may hinder community health promotion due to many assumptions. Communicating smoking’s health dangers may help people quit. Awareness is essential for behavior change, but studies show that it rarely leads to cessation. Health risk-focused treatments may not work in places like Mr. Williams’s where smoking is a daily habit and a stress reliever. Counseling, NRT, and medicine are assumed to be available to people who quit. Socioeconomic issues may make healthcare unaffordable in low-income areas. Mr. Williams needs cheap cessation choices due to his limited income and lack of health insurance. These misconceptions should be addressed by community-based, culturally relevant, and inclusive initiatives. Many unknown factors can make smoke cessation efforts less effective. In normalized smoking communities, social and environmental factors are uncertain. Mr. Williams’ smoking coworkers may urge him to keep smoking and discourage him from quitting. One community-wide method to encourage cessation and reduce this influence is workplace smoking bans during breaks.
Importance of Health Concern
Community health nurses emphasize preventative approaches to enhance health and lower healthcare expenses. High smoking rates in low-income African American communities are due to socioeconomic and cultural issues, making tobacco cessation a key health promotion priority (Bazargan et al., 2020). Tobacco usage and its consequences on the health of hypothetical 48-year-old African American mechanic Mr. James Williams highlight the health disparities seen by this demographic. By encouraging patients to quit smoking, doctors can assist underserved populations close this health gap. Smoking is a primary cause of preventable illness and death in African Americans. According to the CDC, African Americans have higher rates of heart disease, lung cancer, and COPD (CDC, 2024). Socioeconomic gaps, cultural traits, and environmental factors affect health practices and resource access, which affects health outcomes. Smoking’s effects are severe for Mr. Williams and other low-income African Americans. Smoking is commonly a coping tool for stress and financial instability, making quitting difficult without specific help. To break this cycle, reduce health inequities, and improve quality of life for tobacco-affected persons, tobacco cessation is necessary.
Current smokers have 3 times higher the mortality rate, especially among Black compared to non-smokers (Thomson et al., 2022). African Americans are more likely to develop major health issues from smoking, according to the American Heart Association. Smoking and hypertension raise African American men’s risk of stroke, renal failure, and heart disease. Therefore, this population can benefit from improved cardiovascular health, reduced lung and respiratory disease risk, and smoke cessation. Lack of healthcare resources limits cessation and preventative care for economically disadvantaged individuals. Community-centered tobacco cessation promotion can help healthcare practitioners close these gaps and expand long-term health services.
Perceptive Analysis
Understanding tobacco use and health disparities is essential to developing successful health promotion initiatives. Low-income African Americans experience social and economic stress, environmental issues, restricted healthcare access, and tobacco marketing. Because of these reasons, smoking is more than a habit—it’s a cultural standard, a stress reliever, and a survival technique in tough economic times. Smoking helps economically disadvantaged people without mental health treatments cope. Smokers need stress management and mental health care to quit (Asharani et al., 2020). Cultural and environmental factors also contribute to high smoking rates. Employee smoking at Mr. Williams’ workplace is normalized.
Health Goals
To fit Mr. Williams’ learning style, behavioral needs, and typical issues, we created these SMART goals
Goal 1: Over the next month, Mr. Williams will reduce his cigarette consumption by 50%
-Specific: Mr. Williams will cut down his cigarette intake from 20 cigarettes per day to 10 cigarettes per day.
-Measurable: Mr. Williams will track his daily cigarette consumption in a journal or using a mobile app to ensure he is meeting the target of 10 cigarettes per day.
-Achievable: This goal is achievable for Mr. Williams as he can gradually reduce his daily intake by following a structured reduction plan. This gradual approach is manageable given his long history of smoking.
-Relevant: Reducing cigarette intake aligns with Mr. Williams’ ultimate goal of quitting smoking to improve his health, particularly his blood pressure and respiratory health.
-Time-bound: Mr. Williams will maintain the reduced intake of 10 cigarettes per day over the next month, providing a timeframe for evaluating his progress.
Goal 2: Over the next two months, Mr. Williams will incorporate daily stress-management practices.
-Specific: Mr. Williams will engage in at least one stress-management activity daily, such as deep breathing exercises, a 10-minute walk, or a brief mindfulness session.
-Measurable: He will log each activity in a journal, noting how he felt before and after each session to gauge effectiveness in managing stress.
-Achievable: The goal is achievable because these activities are short, accessible, and can be easily integrated into his daily routine, even with a busy work schedule.
-Relevant: Managing stress in healthy ways reduces Mr. Williams’ reliance on smoking as a coping mechanism, which supports his long-term cessation goal.
-Time-bound: Mr. Williams will practice these stress-management activities consistently for the next two months, allowing him to develop new coping mechanisms before his quit date.
Goal 3: By the end of three months, Mr. Williams will have completed a smoke-free week
-Specific: Mr. Williams will aim to have a completely smoke-free week by the end of the three-month plan.
-Measurable: He will document each smoke-free day in his journal, reflecting on any cravings, triggers, and strategies he used to stay smoke-free.
-Achievable: After gradually reducing his cigarette intake, having a smoke-free week is an achievable goal for Mr. Williams, providing a short-term milestone toward full cessation.
-Relevant: A smoke-free week will boost Mr. Williams’ confidence and demonstrate his ability to abstain from smoking, even for a short period.
-Time-bound: This goal will be attempted by the end of the third month, providing a clear milestone within the 90-day plan.
Goal 4: Over the next month, Mr. Williams will explore and select a smoking cessation aid to support his journey
-Specific: Mr. Williams will consult with a healthcare provider to select an appropriate cessation aid, such as nicotine patches or gum, to help manage cravings.
-Measurable: He will document his choice of cessation aid and begin tracking its use and effectiveness in reducing cravings.
-Achievable: Access to affordable or free cessation aids will be ensured through community health resources, making it feasible for Mr. Williams.
-Relevant: Using a cessation aid will support Mr. Williams in managing nicotine withdrawal, making the process of quitting more tolerable.
-Time-bound: Mr. Williams will select and start using a cessation aid within one month, providing a clear deadline to begin the process.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Mr. Williams’ health promotion strategy emphasizes a comprehensive, culturally relevant smoking cessation program for low-income, high-risk neighborhoods. By addressing his health risks, learning needs, and motivational factors, community health nursing can promote healthier lifestyles and reduce health disparities.
References
Asharani, P. V., Ling Seet, V. A., Abdin, E., Siva Kumar, F. D., Wang, P., Roystonn, K., Lee, Y. Y., Cetty, L., Teh, W. L., Verma, S., Mok, Y. M., Fung, D. S. S., Chong, S. A., & Subramaniam, M. (2020). Smoking and mental illness: prevalence, patterns and correlates of smoking and smoking cessation among psychiatric patients. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(15), 5571. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17155571
Bazargan, M., Cobb, S., Castro Sandoval, J., & Assari, S. (2020). Smoking status and well-being of underserved african american older adults. Behavioral Sciences, 10(4), 78. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs10040078
CDC. (2024, April 18). Cancer and African American People. Cancer. https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/health-equity/african-american.html
Farcher, R., Maria Eleni Syleouni, Vinci, L., & Mattli, R. (2023). Burden of smoking on disease-specific mortality, DALYs, costs: the case of a high-income European country. BMC Public Health, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15535-9
Garg, R., McQueen, A., Wolff, J. M., Skinner, K. E., Kegler, M. C., & Kreuter, M. W. (2022). Low housing quality, unmet social needs, stress and depression among low-income smokers. Preventive Medicine Reports, 27, 101767. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2022.101767
Thomson, B., Emberson, J., Lacey, B., Lewington, S., Peto, R., Jemal, A., & Islami, F. (2022). Association Between smoking, smoking cessation, and mortality by race, ethnicity, and sex among US adults. JAMA Network Open, 5(10), e2231480–e2231480. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.31480
