Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, Thesis of Marketing Research

Download Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act and more Thesis Marketing Research in PDF only on Docsity! Public Policy Issue: Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act College of Health Professions, Western Governors University Public Policy Issue: Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act A. Reflection Smoking cigarettes puts the users’ lives and those near them at health risk of cancer and other lung infections. The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act was adopted in 2009 to safeguard the public from health complications associated with active and passive smoking (Chang et al., 2015). It mandated the FDA to oversee how tobacco products are manufactured, distributed, and marketed in the US. However, the policy and its application should be amended to make a provision for a close check on cigars, which poses a significant health threat to the public. Many people consider cigar smoking to be less risky than a cigarette, but recent research reveals that most health complications associated with smoking cigarettes can also come from cigars (Delnevo et al., 2015). Some individuals may smoke many cigars per day with a higher inhalation level, putting them at a higher risk than those smoking cigarettes at lower rates. CDC projected that cigars’ consumption since 2000 has more than doubled, yet that of cigarettes declined by 33% during the period owing it to stiff regulations (Chang et al., 2015). The industry appeals to many youths, and if left uncontrolled, it could lead to more health issues in the future. The public policy is relevant to the nursing profession and has a significant economic impact on the community. Cigar smoke constitutes carcinogens, nitrogen oxide, and carbon monoxide, which affects people’s health condition after long-term use (Malhotra et al., 2017). Cancer and lung complication cases are some of the reasons causing burnout and overstretching of health resources and personnel. Nurses and other healthcare workers spend a lot of time talking care of terminally ill patients at the expense of other critical infections or are forced to overwork, leaving them with no time to refresh. Research conducted in 2004 concluded that cigar and pipe smoking causes lungs, larynx, oropharynx, and esophagus cancers (Chang et al., 2015). Treatment cost for the ailments is often a high burden to individuals and the general public. More than $23 billion is approximated to be lost via deaths, medical care, and lost productivity for cigar-related complications in the US per year (Nonnemaker et al., 2015). Families with cancer patients are often caused to forego many economic activities as they take care of their loved ones. Resources that could have been used in the health department to deal with other diseases are also exploited for the patients, yet most of them end up dying young. The public health threats, the nursing profession’s effect, and cost implications of cigar smoking necessitate amendment of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act to include cigars regulation. Cigars cause the same harm to people as cigarettes do and ought to be regulated the same way in line with the principle of beneficence. Medical personnel are always expected to act guided by a patient at risk and the public’s interests and remove conditions that may cause harm. I am firmly convinced that cigars pose a significant health threat to the youths and other people who use them. Cigarettes and other tobacco substances are well regulated and their use has been declining, unlike cigars, whose consumption continues to rise in the US. The 2009 Act only gave the FDA a mandate to monitor the production, circulation, and promotion of cigarettes, giving rise to the emergence of optional products such as cigars (Delnevo et al., 2015). Since research results have substantively proven that cigars pose a significant threat to human life, it is essential to restrict their use as per the principle of beneficence. B. Policy Brief 1) Decision Maker and Why the Policy Issue Requires Their Attention flavored cigars to remove harshness and irritation experienced by first-time smokers and are being marketed as a replacement for highly regulated cigarettes. Therefore, the decision-maker has to convince the public that cigars are not the best alternative to cigarettes and make legislations that would discourage individuals from using them. 4) Course of Action for Decision-Maker and Ways to Avoid Challenges Identified in B2 The FDA through Anna Abram will have to act decisively to enact and implement new policy measures amid the difficulties identified. As the Deputy Commissioner of the FDA, Anna can start by sensitizing students in schools and sponsoring ads in mainstream media to reduce the ill popularity gained by cigars over the years as a suitable replacement for the cigarettes. Most people believe that the government imposed stiff regulation on cigarette smoking over cigars be- cause they pose more significant health complications (Rostron et al., 2019). Secondly, through Anna Abram, the FDA needs to cooperate with Congress to come with specific rules that would seal the available routes that the mass merchandise cigar market can use to influence policies. It is vital to have directives that would guide packaging and manufacturing modes to make cigars less accessible to residents, as it is done to cigarettes. The FDA can implement the Family Smok- ing Prevention and Tobacco Control Act and reduce cigars’ dominance by being candid, cooper- ating with Congress, and sensitizing the public on smoking cigars’ health risks. 5) Evaluating the Success of The Policy (Top-Down Approach) The evaluating process can begin with assessing the production margin of the merchandise, cigar market, and distributive agencies. For example, manufacturers are expected to reduce cigars’ production due to low demand in the market, and less will be supplied in the markets. Reduced demand, public sensitization, and reviewed policies will also cause the price to increase and make cigars less accessible to the public. Lastly, a survey should be conducted after every three months targeting local retailers and users to determine how the policy has affected their view and consumption rate. C. Plan for Working with FDA to Address the Public Policy Issue Analyzed in Part A 1) Community or Organization with Interest in Policy Goal National Cancer Institute (NCI) is an organization that has shown interest in minimizing cigar use in the public. The agency has a division that seeks to reduce cancer risks, incidences, and mortality related to cancer (NCI, n.d-a). The entity also aims to enhance the quality of life that cancer patients lead after diagnosis. Besides, NCI has a branch that deals with tobacco control (TCRB) that has analyzed cigar use and trends in the US (NCI, n.d-b). Their report details the health consequences of both direct and indirect cigar smoking. Therefore, NCI has shown interest in pushing for more strict regulation to control rampant cigar use in the US. 2) (a) CBPR Principles to Use While Working with the Organization to Address a Policy Change I would build on mutual trust, build on resources available, and promote co-learning and empowering principles of CBPR. I am optimistic that NCI will act in good faith, and I expect them to have a similar view while working with the FDA to sensitize people on health risks of using cigars. Resources will be needed to facilitate movement and pay for ads where necessary. However, the community has enough resources to lower the budget to reach out to as many people as possible. For example, school fields can be used instead of renting payable stadiums. Finally, we would embrace the co-learning principle and empower the residents, where innovation would be vital. Members of the public would be empowered by using them as agents of desired changes or goals. For instance, the church elders would be trained by the expectation that they will continue to mobilize or reach out to other members of the community and tell them what they know about cigars. NCI is often active in social media and has a vibrant call center and email addresses that can be used to access or call them for cooperation. I will use their Twitter handle @NCIadvocacy and email NCIinfo@nih.gov to book an appointment and discuss mutual interest issues regarding the policy. NCI has shown interest in cooperating with other parties with similar goals and intentions to reduce cancer incidences. (b) Collaboration with the Organization and Alignment of Goals The main aim of amending the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act is to ensure that the FDA strictly controls cigars that pose a significant threat to public health sternly as it does with cigarettes. NCI intends to reduce cancer risks in public, and its research has revealed that smoking cigar increases the chance of contracting cancer and other related ailments (NCI, n.d-b). Therefore, it would be easier to work with NCI because of similar perspectives regarding the use of cigars. (c) Actions that Need to Be Taken to Attain the Goal in C2B Several steps need to be taken in favor of the goals mentioned earlier. First, the long- standing myth that some individuals hold that cigars are less harmful than cigarettes need to be detached by letting the public know the truth. NCI officials and other members of our workgroup from the FDA will visit schools and organize public meetings where people can be sensitized about the threats that cigars pose to their health. Besides, rules regarding the packaging and man- ufacture of cigars need to be changed to be stricter, like for cigarettes (Rodu & Plurphanswat, 2021). We will engage Deputy Commissioner in the FDA, Anna, in developing the legislation and urge her to push it through to Congress for consideration. 2) Recommended Approach Modification of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act will affect many people across the country. It is the FDA’s role and other interested parties such as NCI to employ an approach that will ease its implementation. I propose using a bottom-up approach where results will be realized fast and the general cost will be lower than the top-down approach. The public need to know the health risks associated with cigars and have them censored in an equal a measure as the cigarettes. References Chang, C. M., Corey, C. G., Rostron, B. L., & Apelberg, B. J. (2015). Systematic review of cigar smoking and all cause and smoking related mortality. BMC Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-015-1617-5 Delnevo, C. D., Giovenco, D. P., Ambrose, B. K., Corey, C. G., & Conway, K. P. (2015). Preference for flavoured cigar brands among youth, young adults and adults in the USA. Tobacco control. https://doi.org/10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2013-051408 Malhotra, J., Borron, C., Freedman, N. D., Abnet, C. C., Van Den Brandt, P. A., White, Boffetta, P., Giles, G. & Milne, L. (2017). Association between Cigar or pipe smoking and cancer risk in men: A pooled analysis of five Cohort studies. Cancer Prevention Research. https://doi.org/10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-17-0084 National Cancer Institute (NCI). (n.d-a). Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS). https://cancercontrol.cancer.gov/ National Cancer Institute (NCI). (n.d-b). Cigars: Health Effects and Trends. Smoking and Tobacco Control Monograph No. 9. https://cancercontrol.cancer.gov/sites/default/files/2020-08/m09_complete.pdf Nonnemaker, J., Rostron, B., Hall, P., MacMonegle, A., & Apelberg, B. (2015). Mortality and economic costs from regular cigar use in the United States, 2010. American journal of public health. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2014.301991 Rodu, B., & Plurphanswat, N. (2021). Mortality among male cigar and cigarette smokers in the USA. Harm Reduction Journal. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-55896/v3 Rostron, B. L., Corey, C. G., & Gindi, R. M. (2019). Cigar smoking prevalence and morbidity among US adults, 2000–2015. Preventive Medicine Reports. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2019.100821 The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). (2019). Anna Abram. https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/fda-organization/anna-abram Winterbauer, N. L., Bekemeier, B., VanRaemdonck, L., & Hoover, A. G. (2016). Applying community-based participatory research partnership principles to public health practice- based research networks. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244016679211 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2019.100821