Cessation of Smoking Health Policy
Cessation of Smoking Health Policy
Smoking is a hobby of consuming tobacco and other drug substances through burning and inhaling the fumes and or smoke resulting from these substances’ burning process. Of particular importance is the smoking of tobacco products whether locally prepared or processed. Smoking has however been associated with grave effects and thus making smoking on n of the leading cause of health hazards and consequently deaths. Tobacco being the component in cigarettes has been rated one of the leading cause of cancer in its consumers. This, therefore, explains the statistics which have been collected and proven to be true over time.
Health studies which were conducted and published by CDC in January 2017 indicate that cigarette causes harm to almost every organ of the body and thus causing various health hazards and thus reducing the health in general (CDCD, 2017). CDC further estimates that cigarette smoking is responsible for about 480 000 deaths every year, the statistics which imply that for every 5 deaths, one is smoking-related and thus this, therefore, indicate that the smoking is one of the leading causes of deaths. This statistics on deaths leaves some of the cause of deaths trailing behind which include firearms related deaths, HIV, motor vehicle accidents among other causes of deaths.
Other shocking information is that smoking has caused more than ten times of premature deaths as compared to other causes of deaths and thus this clearly shows that most early adopters of smoking are likely to die early. Further, Studies indicate that 90% of lung cancer is caused by smoking and that lung cancer statistics on women is way higher than that of breast cancer. Other than cancer smoking has been attributed to respiratory disease and cardiovascular diseases. I regard respiratory diseases, smokers are the leading in reporting of respiratory obstruction (CDCD, 2017). Also, tobacco smoking has been found to cause an asthma attack or escalate the cases of attack for individuals with asthma. Cardiovascular diseases and complications such as chronic obstructive pulmonary obstruction disease, stroke, coronary heart disease, blockage of blood flow to organs such as the legs among others become a challenge and thus increasing the complications in the cardio vascular system (CDCD, 2017). Finally, Smoking of tobacco has been to affect reproductive abilities in both males and females. Women who smoke have been found to have difficulty in becoming pregnant according to research. This has prompted various studies which have been undertaken and thus indicating that tobacco affects fertility in women. In men, smoking has been attributed to malfunctioning sperm production thus causing infertility.
All these health implications affect all people across the age and gender, and thus this means that cessation of smoking as a healthcare preventive measure will help in reducing the cost implications which are caused by smoking. This strategy will not only help in improving the health of the employees, creating a good image in the community but also cushion the company from the huge expenditures which will be required to pay as co-pays as well as making the employees economic by ensuring their health. It will make the employees economic since the company will not have to spend time in attending to the employees and also that the company will not lose time and resources in a case where the employees have to be given sick leaves since they will be paid their dues. Above it, all the complications which result from smoking are costly and have adverse effects in the employee, and thus the company has to spend a lot of resources in sorting out huge medical bills as well as provide their salaries. In the long run, advocating for cessation of smoking will by far help the company cut the cost caused by smoking-related health challenges.
The company’s population is made up of 50% males and 50% female with an age bracket of 18-65. The young employees are at a higher risk of premature deaths caused by complication related to smoking whereas the old have a risk of going through the trouble of chronic complications. 18 years of age and above is also a fertile group who need to have families and consequently have children and thus advocating for smoking cessation will help reduce cases of reproductive challenges. Successful advocacy for smoking cessation will, therefore, reduce the risk of huge expenditures on health and hiring costs which may occur time to time owing to the deaths and loss of employees as a result of chronic and acute illnesses which arise from smoking. Loss of employee due to illness will prompt the company to replace such employees, and this means that the company has to pay the estimated cost of between $1000 and $4000, an endeavor which can be avoided if the smoking cessation is advocated for (Erickson, 2017). This cost can be high if many employees smoke in the company.
The impact of discouraging, therefore, have either a direct impact by reducing the cost which shall be spent in the treatment of smoking-related complications. Smoking has been rated as the leading cause of deaths in the United States and other parts of the world. Also, this campaign will also create a good image of the company since the authorities, and the community and the public at large will support the company and thus will help in having a good operating environment. Precisely, studies which were conducted by Cipriano and colleagues in a study which was aimed at estimating the cost involving lung cancer found that the cost of treatment ranged from $2687 in the first months of diagnosis and no treatment to $9360 with chemoradiotherapy (Cipriano et al., 2011). This shows that the treatment alone is costly, let alone the time taken by the employee to seek medication. This, therefore, justifies the value of the campaign for the smoking cessation in the company.
This strategy will be employed and encouraged through ensuring that new employees are familiarized with the company’s desire and how the company rewards the adopters of the strategy. The adopters will be awarded a specific amount of money which is awarded on a monthly basis together with the salary. For instance, smokers will be asked to voluntarily come out and register with the health safety department in order for the monitoring and assessment to be conducted from time to time. To ascertain compliance, the health and safety departments will be enhanced by the provision of nicotine testers, and thus members who meet a set threshold which may not necessarily be zero are rewarded from time to time.
Conclusively, smoking cessation as a healthcare strategy aimed at reducing the cost of health in the company is evidently a feasible and most promising strategy to adopt since smoking is rated one of the leading cause of deaths and grave health complication which might cost the company to a great extent if no intervention is employed.
References
Cipriano, L. E., Romanus, D., Earle, C. C., Neville, B. A., Halpern, E. F., Gazelle, G. S., & McMahon, P. M. (2011). Lung cancer treatment costs, including patient responsibility, by disease stage and treatment modality, 1992 to 2003. The Value in Health, 14(1), 41-52.
Erickson, B. H. (2017). Good networks and good jobs: The value of social capital to employers and employees. In Social capital (pp. 127-158). Routledge.
CDC. Health effects of cigarette smoking (2011). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/effects_cig_smoking/index.htm
