SMART Goals for Health Promotion

Health Promotion Plan

Introduction

This health promotion plan addresses tobacco use, including the practice of vaping, using e-cigarettes, hookah, chewing tobacco, and smoking. The goal of the plan is to facilitate the cessation of tobacco use. This plan discusses the population, health concern, potential learning needs of the population, and SMART goals that will be used to evaluate the educational session.

Scenario

As Adams (2020) points out, 16 million people in America live with a smoking-related disease. The average tobacco user is male, between the ages of 18 and 24, and has a high school education. He is more likely to be married and employed than his non-smoking counterparts, and his income is slightly higher. However, tobacco use is not limited to any one group; people of all ages, races, and socioeconomic backgrounds smoke. In general, smokers are more likely to live in urban areas and have lower incomes than nonsmokers. They are also more likely to suffer from chronic health problems such as lung disease, heart disease, and cancer. Whether due to peer pressure, ads targeting certain groups, or other factors, tobacco use continues to be a serious problem in the United States (Hoek et al., 2019). The upcoming generation prefers vaping to smoking, or uses alternative tobacco products such as e-cigarettees, hookahs, and chewing tobacco. The goal is to address this population directly, which is in the 18-24 range, by gathering a group of self-described tobacco users or vapers—young adults from a local community college. This group is relevant to the targeted population because they all smoke, vape, chew tobacco (dip), or use e-cigarettes or hookahs, in spite of ethnic, economic, or gender differences they may have.

Predisposition

There are a number of reasons why young adults are predisposed to tobacco use or vaping. First and foremost, they are often exposed to tobacco advertising and marketing, which can make smoking or vaping seem like an attractive option. Secondly, peer pressure can also play a role, as young adults may feel pressure to fit in with their friends or peers who are using tobacco. Finally, there is also the fact that many young adults view smoking or vaping as a way to cope with stress or anxiety.

However, there are also a number of benefits that young adults can reap from a health promotion educational plan. For starters, such a plan can help young adults to learn about the risks associated with tobacco use and vaping. Additionally, a health promotion educational plan can also provide young adults with the necessary skills and knowledge to avoid tobacco use and vaping in the first place. Ultimately, a health promotion educational plan can help young adults to lead healthier, smoke-free lives.

What to Include in the Development of a Sociogram

When developing a sociogram for young adults who use tobacco, tobacco products, or vape, it is important to include information on the frequency and type of tobacco or vaping products used, as well as the social context in which these activities take place. Doing so will allow for a more complete understanding of the factors that contribute to tobacco or vaping use among young adults, and can ultimately help to inform interventions aimed at reducing these behaviors. Interactions between members of a community within the target population will explain a lot about why members of this population engage in this kind of tobacco use.

Learning Need

It is important to assess the learning needs of young adult tobacco users by considering their health literacy levels and prior knowledge about the risks of tobacco use. Additionally, providers should be aware of the unique challenges that young adults face when trying to quit smoking, when vaping, using e-cigarettes, hookah, or dip—such as peer pressure and stress. By taking these factors into account, providers can develop an educational health plan that is tailored to the needs of young adult tobacco users.

The primary learning need of the group in this scenario is the need to understand the harmful effects of tobacco use and why elimination of all tobacco and tobacco product use (including vaping) should be promoted. Current behaviors of the group are that the members smoke, vape or use tobacco products at least once a day, that they use particularly in a social setting, and that they have not considered the harmful effects of this use on their health. Expectations for this educational session are that participants will come away with a deeper understanding of the harmful effects of all kinds of tobacco use. This will improve their health literacy, and options for alternative healthy actions in a social setting will be provided (Healthy People 2030, n.d.).