Case Study Curbing Tobacco Use in Poland

Case Study Curbing Tobacco Use in Poland

Case Study Curbing Tobacco Use in Poland

Responses must be from scholar authors and paragraph long.
Response 1

According to the case study Curbing Tobacco Use in Poland (n.d.), prior to the fall of Communism, tobacco was a major source of revenue in the country, and the Polish community was not educated about the negative consequences of smoking. It was not in the best interest of the government to inform the population of the health risks associated with smoking, due to the economic revenue brought about by the sale of tobacco products. Immediately after the fall of the Berlin Wall, tobacco use increased due to privatization of the tobacco industry and the abundance of international product combined with a much more economical cost. With time, scientists in Poland began conducting research that showed the negative effects of smoking which started the anti-tobacco movement. With free media came information about the negative health consequences of smoking and allowed for the increased knowledge regarding tobacco-control legislation. It also provided advise about what steps to take to quit smoking.

By 1995, the “Law for the Protection of Public Health Against the Effects of Tobacco Use” was passed. The law banned smoking and cigarette sales in health care centers, schools, and for minors under the age of 18. It banned the production and marketing of smokeless tobacco and radio and television advertising. The law also mandated printing of the largest health warnings on cigarette packs at that time and free treatment for smoking cessation. Once smoking was recognized as the killer it is, the government acted appropriately and saved millions of lives.

I would like to think that I treat all patients with the same respect without using stereotypes or bias’, but sometimes I imagine that subconsciously I may still act on preconceived notions. I do not think I exhibit bias based on culture as much as behavior. Cultural diversity is a constant in my practice, and I recognize, and respect difference based on race, religion, age, gender, etc. To be honest, I find it more difficult to set aside bias about IV drug users that stay inpatient for 6-12 weeks for IV antibiotics than anyone else. According to Bucknor-Ferron & Zagaja (2016) unconscious bias is difficult to manage due to blind spots resulting from confirmation bias. Confirmation bias trigger information that supports prior beliefs, reinforcing stereotypes. My experience with IV drug users has made it difficult to overcome my bias, because more often than not, I have had a bad, nearly fatal experience with these patients.

When we learn cultural information about others, it should be to cater our nursing plans to the specific patient, not to lead to stereotyping. Cultural knowledge should influence and change nursing practice and interaction, because recognizing differences in our patients offers another way to advocate for them by assisting with communication, identifying appropriate treatment options, and ensuring their rights are not ignored.

Response 2:

Cultural and environmental influences have a huge effect on how we live our lives. The media, advertisement, and marketing impact what we think is right and wrong. In Poland before an intervention, smoking was largely advertised, while the side effects and consequences of smoking were hidden. Poland had a particularly high rate of smoking due to the large marketing campaigns. Because the government was profiting off of this, unfortunely it took a long time before the effects of smoking became obvious to the public. Finally, after the health effects became known to the world, programs in Poland were developed to fight this trend. Fighting big tobacco is no easy task, but Polish parliament passed groundbreaking legislation that included warning labels, along with a ban on smoking in public, on advertisement, and on sales to minors. An initiative to raise awareness of the dangers of smoking via health education campaigns also became part of Poland’s intervention. After these legislative efforts, the culture changed. Cigarette consumption dropped by ten percent in eight years. (Center for Global Development (N.D.).

In health care centers today, we see people from all different cultures, and we must take each person’s culture and environment into consideration before we judge their health. Much like in Poland, the environment was the real problem, and not necessarily the population. For example, some cultures don’t believe in western medication and some believe that being overweight correlates to good health. Most cultures revolve around food, and not exactly the healthy kind. Some environments also promote dangerous behavior such as drinking, smoking, drug use, and sexual behavior. As public health leaders we must recognize these differences in culture, so that we don’t form a bias about our patients. We should also be careful not to judge someone based on just their cultural background alone.

It can be frustrating to confront a patient about their health and not understand why the patient can’t just take care of themselves. We must acknowledge all of the aspects going on in this individual’s life and treat them accordingly. We must recognize the cultural differences, socioeconomic situation, and the environment in which they live in order to fully assess out patients. (Stanhope, Lancaster (2016).

 

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ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS

Discussion Questions (DQ)

Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words.
Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source.
One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words.
I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses.
Weekly Participation

Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately.
In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies.
Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work).
Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week.
APA Format and Writing Quality

Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required).
Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation.
I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition.
Use of Direct Quotes

I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’ level and deduct points accordingly.
As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content.
It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source.
LopesWrite Policy

For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me.
Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes.
Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own?
Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score.
Late Policy

The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies.
Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances.
If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect.
I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension.
As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading.
Communication

Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me:
Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class.
Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.