Smoking Cessation, Research Paper Example

Discussion and review concerning importance for adults to consider tobacco cessation

Often people are encouraged to stop smoking tobacco since internationally it has been communicated as being a serious health hazard. Lung cancer is one of the deadliest of diseases a smoker can develop. Studies confirm that tobacco smoke causes 80-90% of all lung cancers. Incidences among non-smokers are 10-15% (Alberg & Samet, 2010). Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is another sequel of tobacco smoking. It is considered less traumatic to the body than lung cancer, but it ultimately affects the heart and exacerbations can be disastrous (Alberg & Samet, 2010). Therefore, recommending that people stop smoking seems to be logical. While every smoker knows that tobacco affects their health the habit is very difficult to break. As such, cessation of tobacco smoking must be projected scientifically for interventions to be successful.

Tobacco cessation intervention: What should they be told?

Researchers have discovered some every helpful strategies in communicating tobacco smoking cessation to users. They have identified its use as being both a dental as well as medical problem. Therefore, interventions must target these two very important aspects. Education through transmitting the importance of dental hygiene has been used successfully as an intervention (Stafne & Baskdash, 2000).

There are three psychological premises under which this cessation program is practiced applying the five A’s to the intervention. The three psychological premises are precontenplation, contemplation and contemplation. During precontenplation the client is (A) asked if he/she smoked and at the same time exposed to the dangers of smoking through pointing out examples of people with COPD or those who have died from lung cancer. This aspect is communicated in a very subtle nonjudgmental manner. A specific period of about one month is allowed to elapse before they are led into the second phase of letting go of the habit (Stafne & Baskdash, 2000).

Now the client is (A) advised to begin a cessation program and again allowed to contemplate on the matter for a few weeks before making a decision. They do something while the practitioner reinforces the cessation need to the client. In the third phase the practitioner (A) assesses how ready the client is to begin the program. While assessment is being conducted the client makes preparation for the transition, which is the linked to the third phase ‘A.’ Here an informed decision is made as to how many packs of tobacco he/she will release daily until the exact amount is eliminated altogether (Stafne & Baskdash, 2000).

The fourth step is the (A) action. During this phase the practitioner guides the client though the process by gently offering support into successful cessation process through finally (A) assisting and (A) arranging follow up (Stafne & Baskdash, 2000). Reinforcement of signature strength is also a very valuable strategy while completing the five A’s protocol intervention. The process should energize the individual instead of exhausting. Once severe withdrawal symptoms occur the client will have to stop and start over the process since this indicates that he/she might not have been ready.

Literature support

Literature support regarding tobacco cessation protocol programs similar to the five ‘A” adopted by the dental association investigated communicating the protocol through text messaging. Researchers reviewed literature to ascertain how successfully messages were communicated and the effectiveness of interventions. They compared the interventions for 26 weeks and 12 months by examining various pieces of literature with the key words tobacco cessation, mobile phone, text messaging and 5 ‘ A’ protocol. They discovered that while this mobile phone intervention was highly successful in the short term many participants did not received enough follow up support in the long term to continue a successful cessation regime. The precontenplation, contemplation and preparation phases had to be repeated after about 3 months (Whittaker, Borland, Bullen, Lin, McRobbie, & Rodgers, 2009).

In summarizing the quality of their evidence, the researchers admitted the limitation of literature review studies. Data was scarce in relating the true impact the program had on clients, since text messaging could transmit but a small portion of information. However, they were very conclusive in deciding that there is no evidence to support this program longevity when conducted via mobile phones. Therefore while time effective and reaching a larger audience it must be combined with some face to face interactions was conducted at the clinic site (Whittaker et.al, 2009)

Conclusion

The foregoing discussion pertaining to cessation of tobacco smoking highlighted reasons why people should be encouraged to stop smoking tobacco. Lung Cancer and COPD were cited as the most dangerous diseases affecting tobacco smokers. Communicating a change in behavior was embarked by outlining the 5 “A” protocol and sensitive information ought to be transmitted. A supporting piece of literature review highlighted adapting the protocol for mobile phone tobacco cessation intervention. The success rate was high, but not sustainable. Recommendations are that the mobile tobacco cessation protocol should be combined with a face to face intervention for longevity.

References

Alberg, A., & Samet, J. (2010). Textbook of Respiratory Medicine (5th ed.). Saunders Elsevier.

Stafne, E., & Baskdash, B. (2000). Tobacco Cessation Intervention: How to Communicate with Tobacco Using Patients. The Journal of Contemporary Dental Practice, 1(4), 2-10.

Whittaker, R. Borland, R. Bullen, C. Lin, R. McRobbie, H., & Rodgers A (2009). Mobile phone – based interventions for smoking cessation (Review). The Cochrane Library, 9(4), 1-10