Environmental Factors and Health Promotion: Accident and Safety Promotion
This pamphlet, on the dangers of second hand smoke, was presented to a young mother of a 5 year old daughter. She resides near Ft. Knox Kentucky and has no college education but did complete and graduate from high school. She would be considered of low economic status and lives with her boyfriend of 1 year. Both young adults smoke and admit to smoking in the vehicles but not within the home. They both state that when at home they smoke outside but do smoke in the vehicle often. Both of these young adults have been primarily raised in the state of Kentucky and had at least one parent that smoked. The male adult grew up around tobacco farms that are common in Kentucky and has multiple family member who smoked while he was a child.
The pamphlet was presented to both the young adults with explanation of why they were receiving this education. Upon reading the pamphlet the female stated that she was used to her mother smoking in the vehicles while she was a child but her mother never smoked in the home. She stated that she knew second hand smoke was dangerous to her and now to her child but did not realize the impact of the exposure. I then asked both of the young adults to explain to me what they understood about second hand exposure and if they had any questions about this. Both adults explained that elimination of exposure to the 5 year old was very important to her health. The female reports that while the child was younger she did suffer from multiple ear infections and upper respiratory infections and had tubes placed in her ears on 3 separate occasions. She also states that she will not smoke in the vehicle or allow anyone else to smoke if her child is present. She also states that she really has a desire to stop smoking and has been debating on the electric cigarette to help her to quit.
The experience of educating this young mother and her significant other was an exhilarating...