Preventing use of tobacco and helping those who utilize it to stop can have continuing benefits for people and for the public health in general. Advanced practice nurses can engage in activism and prevent Big Tobacco from further disabling the health of many communities by developing and implementing tobacco management programs to assist to reduce or prevent the use of tobacco.

These programs can make use of taxation, mass-media campaigns, restrictions and easily accessible and effective behavioral analysis and tobacco ending medications.

The programs can provide services to different target audiences, including young individuals, people with co morbid health issues, those of different socioeconomic status and ethnicities, and women (Diem & Moyer, 2015).

A comprehensive approach to tobacco management results in changes that affect the whole population, from the person to the community level, by addressing the social, political economic, cultural and environmental aspects that sustain the using and not using of tobacco.

Another way that advanced practice nurses can engage in activism and prevent Big Tobacco from further disabling the health of many communities is through the use of Evidence-based best practices for tobacco control (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2014).

Programs for tobacco control reduce use of tobacco at the populace level by building tobacco-free outdoor and indoor areas, limiting the access of young people to tobacco products, restricting tobacco marketing, having continuous counter marketing campaigns, increasing the price of tobacco products, and offering easily available tobacco termination services and products.

References

Diem, E. & Moyer, A. (2015). Community and public health nursing: learning to make a difference through teamwork. Toronto: Canadian Scholars' Press.

Stanhope, M. & Lancaster, J. (2014). Public health nursing: population-centered health care in the community. Maryland Heights, Missouri: Elsevier Mosby.