Elsevier

Nursing Outlook

Volume 61, Issue 3, May–June 2013, Pages 181-182
Nursing Outlook

Article
American Academy of Nursing on Policy
Nursing scholarship and leadership in tobacco control

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2013.04.001Get rights and content

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Executive Summary

Tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke remain the leading causes of preventable death and disease in the United States and worldwide. Research demonstrates that nurses and professional nursing organizations can make a significant difference in minimizing this disease-burden caused by tobacco through nursing research, policy, practice, and education. The American Academy of Nursing recommends that tobacco control receives priority corresponding with the death and disease impact of tobacco use

Background

Worldwide, more than one billion people smoke, one of 10 youths smoke, and 50% of youths are exposed to tobacco smoke in public places. Six million tobacco-related deaths occur every year, including 600,000 people killed through exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke. If trends continue, by 2030 more than eight million people will die annually because of tobacco use, 80% of whom reside in low- and middle-income countries (World Health Organization, 2011). In the United States, cigarette smoking

State of the Science and Solutions

An overview of nurse-led scholarship in tobacco control was conducted by the American Academy of Nursing's Expert Panel on Health Behavior, Tobacco Control subgroup (Sarna et al., 2013). This analysis revealed nurses' contributions to scholarship in the field as well as gaps in the literature. Specific recommendations for the profession were made on the basis of a synthesis of nurse-led scholarship in the field and meta-analyses in the areas of tobacco prevention, tobacco dependence treatment,

Position Statement

Because tobacco use is a worldwide epidemic that requires the leadership and active involvement of nurses, the Academy adopts the following positions:

  • 1.

    Tobacco control should receive high priority on any nursing research, education, health policy, and health care agenda.

  • 2.

    At a minimum, all nurses should assess patients' tobacco use and willingness to quit, provide advice to quit, and refer tobacco users to existing resources, including telephone quitlines (e.g., 1-800-Quit-Now).

  • 3.

    Nursing curricula

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