7HW013 Social Perspectives on Health and health policy Assignment Sample
Introduction
Prevention of health issues, chronic diseases, and controlling them among the communities are the main aspect of public health. Government of any country has the responsibility to promote the welfare of the entire population through effective public health policies. Public health policies helps in protecting people from environmental hazards, the spread of infectious diseases, promoting healthy practices, and at the same time allowing people to access high-quality and safe healthcare services. The UK government and the health department are concerned about making the public healthier and inspiring them to follow healthy practices. The following discussion identifies the ‘Policies prohibiting tobacco and alcohol use at the workplace’ specifically ‘Tobacco-use cessation policy’, one of the important public health policies of the UK government. The Title is Tobacco Control Delivery Plan, dated June 2018 (Department of Health and Social Care, 2018). This policy is currently applied in the UK to restrict smoking in the workplace and it is an initiative to reinforce employees’ health. The present study will critically analyze the policy thereby interpreting social perspectives. Alternative ways will also be explained that can help to address the problem, this public health policy focuses on.
A current public health policy in the UK
A report of the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) has revealed that smoking restrictions and bans are certainly effective strategies that possibly minimize exposure to second-hand smoke. Smoking has been identified as one of the biggest reasons for serious illness and death in the UK, so it is a serious aspect to the government to restrict and strategically manage the overall consumption of tobacco. Tobacco-use cessation policies ban tobacco in the workplace and prohibit tobacco consumption anywhere in organization premises (CDC, 2021). This is how, with this public health policy, the government aims to promote healthy practice within a large number of people to a greater extent.
As mentioned earlier that smoking is a major threat to public health in the UK as every year almost 78,000 people die from smoking in this nation, while a number of people duffer from myriad smoking-related diseases. The NHS has reported that regular smoking possibly increases the risks of almost more than 50 serious health conditions (NHS, 2021). Therefore, it is high time to take the robust initiative to control smoking to foster public health to a greater level. The aforementioned public health policy of the UK government has been formed to address this issue. People spend huge time in the workplace and the behavioral attributes and usual practices in the workplace directly impact their lifestyle. So, if the changes can be implemented in the workplace and prohibit people from smoking for long hours, then eventually it will help them to completely give up this unhealthy and harmful practice. On the other hand, smoking is also harmful to people, who are not direct smokers and this problem is common in the workplace. The risks of passive smoking can also be minimized by prohibiting smoking in the workplace.
The social perspective that influences the policy
The public health laws in the UK substantially enclosed workplaces and public places to be smoke-free. Therefore the employers have the legal responsibility to prevent the employee and the stakeholders from smoking within the relevant premises the offer the work as well as an insert in workplace vehicles. In terms of a social perspective a forest smoking it can be identified that smoking is the most common and avoidable cause for many fatal illnesses. It not only affects every organ of the body but among people especially in the workplace the smoke break is the favorite stress reliever that results in an alarming increase in workplace smoking statistics. Work health is also affected as the productivity with increasing smoking decreases exponentially (Veterans, 2018). With increasing addiction to smoking the frequency and duration of the smoking, break increase is that ultimately reduces the work of performance and productivity of the employee. It also hampers concentration and increases anxiety.
However, at the initial position, the employee identifies it to have an impact on stress releasing activity but in the long run, it destroys the workplace culture and also has a direct impact on the non-smokers. Apart from that is statistically it has also been proven that smokers are more prone to have increased injuries and accidents and they also get frequently sick due to Physical inactivity is that ultimately results in two of the smoking. Nevertheless, cigarette smoking has been identified as the most preventable cause of both premature death and morbidity (UNISON, 2021). It has also been identified that with the increasing rate of smokers in the workplace is the rate of absenteeism among the employee also increases and that is possibly due to less productivity and increased anxiety in the workplace. Smoking is defined as the position of lit substances such as tobacco or cigarette to be used to smoke or inhale tobacco. The policies that are enclosed by the UK Government apply it to substantially implement in the workplace where more than one person works and regardless of whether they are voluntary or paid the intermediary work need not be ham potter and the tobacco consumption must be eliminated. As per the health and safety executive with the employer can consult the employee stakeholders and other representatives about the smoking policy that suits the workplace by the meeting.
As per the law, the substantially in close the or enclosed refers to a place that has a roof or ceiling with the walls and windows for at least half the premises and therefore by Consulting with the employee the employers can give an enclosed or substantially enclosed area for smoking as per the law. Special consideration also needs to be provided to the vulnerable workers who are at a special risk such as pregnant women or employees who are suffering from respiratory diseases or cardiovascular diseases (Indus Health Plus, 2021). For any work that is in a residential setting, permitted smoking needs to be provided with more care and administration, and if the area or Residency is a smoke-free area alternative provision or area needs to be provided to the employees. From a social construct or perspective, it has been identified that people use tobacco for different reasons such as a pleasant social situation and stress relief. In cigarette smoking, nicotine is the domain substance that is responsible for addiction. It reaches the brain in 10 seconds and directly enters the body causing the brain to release adrenaline. Initially, it creates a sense of energy and pleasure in the body but it quickly fades due to which the person smoking feels tired and down. Apart from that with regular intake of nicotine, the body is able to build up high tolerance against nicotine, and due to which the smoking of cigarettes gets into an up-and-down cycle, as a result, making the person feel an urge to smoke.
Critical analysis of the policy
There are two popular theoretical framework that are used for policy analysis, and these frameworks are; Bacchi’s six question approach and Bardach’s eightfold path framework (Manning, 2019). For this policy, Bacchi’s six question approach has been selected, and the analysis is as follow:
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What is the problem?
The United Kingdom has become part of a WHO Framework Convention on tobacco control since March 2015. As per the tobacco use, cessation policy smoking is prohibited in public transportation Indore workplaces Indore public places, and work vehicles. However, there are limited exceptions to the banner where smoking is permitted in a designated room in the hotels even if the person is out for work-related activities
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What are the underlining assumptions and presuppositions?
Offshore installation oil rigs and smoking is also permitted for sampling the cigar or pipe of the tobacco specialist in the tobacco shops. Deliver government tobacco control strategy was launched on 1st February 2010 that includes the target to reduce the smoking among 11 to 15 year old from 6 % to below 1% by 2020 and reduce the adults smoking by 21% to below 10% by 2020.
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How has the representation of the problem come about?
The strategy was developed with the input from the NHS and Research community that is set out to different steps for the journey of the UK workplaces to become tobacco-free (Tobacco Control Laws, 2018). The comprehensive tobacco Policy was the highway was published by the UK Government in 1998 that covered the marketing taxation advertisement smoking cessation passive smoking and tobacco campaigns in the work and public places.
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What is left unproblematic in this problem representation?
After the publication of the comprehensive tobacco policy of chronological list of other resolutions and laws on tobacco control has also been published from 1989 to 2006. The legal measures regarding tobacco control in the workplace are reviewed by the legal staff in consultation with the in-country lawyer of the United Kingdom and the tobacco control expert. The health Act 2006 mainly governs the aspect of public health that includes tobacco control in the workplace as well.
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What effects are produced by this representation of the ‘problem’?
With respect to tobacco control in the workplace the health act regulator smoking for public places transportation and workplaces. Apart from that numerous regulations have also been issued under the health act for implementing that includes smoke-free enforcement and premises regulation 2006 that defines the substantially and closed and enclosed area as a set out for authority is in order to smoke and secondly the smoke-free regulation 2007 that is mainly launched for regulating the smoking not to be done in enclosed promisor or public vehicles (Action on Smoking and Health, 2016). Apart from the smoke-free regulation of 2006 and 2007, the smoke-free regulation set out for penalty for smoking violation is also set out under this act that encloses the exemptions and vehicles to be Ban for smoking.
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How/where is this representation of the ‘problem’ produced, disseminated and defended?
Lastly, the smoke-free regulation 2012 was also set out that got applied for the workplaces as well that is enclosed to have a no smoking sign and private regulation since 2012 and the 2015 Act was also implemented to provide smoking in an enclosed private vehicle that has children present in it. In order to support the act with the maximum public interest and support the tobacco advertising and promotion Act 2002 and the broadcast media of the UK work collaboratively to prohibit a depiction of tobacco and smoking products to be restricted. Lastly, the labeling and packaging of tobacco products are also governed by the tobacco and the related product regulation 2016 as well as other standardized Packaging of tobacco product regulations 2015. Selling tobacco and other smoking products via vending machines is prohibited where the enclosed product includes small packets of cigarettes single cigarettes and other tobacco items that are orally used.
Alternative ways to address the problem
Any workplace has the potential to set with a large group of people reaching maximum of the people to encourage smoking cessation. In order to help the employee to quit smoking, different aspects can work along with or with the tobacco use situation policy of the UK. For example, the organization and the management can establish or tobacco-free policy at the workplace that can be and compost to all the forms of tobacco consumption including cigar pipes and chewing tobacco.
However, the communication of the policy to all the employees is highly essential to establish the consequences for the violation negatively. Another way that can also encourage people to quit smoking is making the property or smoke-free. The water place that is placed in a wide area of land the management can make the area tobacco-free and expand the parameter to include the entire workplace a property (ESI Group, 2017). It will also eliminate the practice of the employee smoking in the doorway or anywhere near the company premises vehicles or even parking lot. In order to smoke, since the employee will need to travel a certain distance, it will automatically reduce the frequency to go out and take the smoking breaks and ultimately help in quitting smoking. Apart from that, the management can also ensure a health plan to be provided to the employee is that offers tobacco cessation benefits.
By publishing the benefits to the employee and allowing them to copy out-of-pocket costs will be consider picking up the tab and reducing the consumption of smoking. On a regular basis, the employer and manager can engage in Wellness and health programs for quitting smoking for the smoking cessation counseling and coaching can also be conducted. By coupling the coaching and counseling the modalities can bolster the success rate. The resources for conducting such as health and wellness program can be made available through Community Health Centre and insurance. For the employee who is willing to quit smoking the company can offer multiple quit smoking help modalities (Moher, Hey, and Lancaster, 2003). It is a common way that every method will not be applicable to all people.
Especially for the one who has been smoking for a long period of time will not feel easy to quit smoking in the first place. In order to patiently deal with the practice of reducing the smoking habit quitting sessions can be provided to them. As the chances of success will be increasing with every station the smokers will have eventually successful attempt to quit smoking even if they have been smoking for a long. Organizations that have a Healthcare policy for the employee can also include health risk appraisal to the employee where appraisals can be provided to the employee who does not smoke. Smoker when they will get to know about their skill they will more likely to quit smoking and look out for appraisal by quitting the intake of tobacco. Another alternative that is also available to the management and the executive of the businesses and workplaces is that they can offer the Employees the quit smoking incentives.
The employer can provide monetary or non-monetary rewards and incentives for the employee who quit smoking and under the affordable care act, the tobacco users can charge 50% of more Health Insurance. Along with conducting the quit smoking cessation educating the employees about the health risk for smoking is also important. By providing the information through newsletter promotions can be done among the employees. Particularly the executives and managers of the company can also individually or in the group can participate in public health observances. World no Tobacco Day is celebrated in May the employees can be provided with free promotional material and a Toolkit that can be sponsored by other organizations and Health Care Centres.
Strategies to influence policymakers
In order to make the policy more impactful increasing the policymaker with an effective, pathway is very important. Therefore providing them with more opportunities and influencing them about the research evidence can help in developing and altering the policy is based on time and situation. For the workplace is it can become mandatory to identify the research community and it can also be done by influencing the policymakers. A policy is regarded as a course of action plan or set of regulations that are adopted by the government businesses and other Institutions were designed for determining decisions and influencing any particular form of procedures (NCCPE, 2021). The policymaker is a wide or broad term that covers the individual or people who are responsible for amending and formulating policies.
At the national level of the United Kingdom, it includes the Advisors minister’s civil servants chief scientific advisor Lord parliamentary committee members, and other advisory staff. For certain policy areas, the staff of government Agencies is also included for having expert knowledge in a particular area and they play a significant role in framing the policies and making the process actionable. The policymakers approach a large group of people for influencing the policies of the constituent parties. For any changes or amendments in a policy, the policy process is represented in a cycle. The cycle includes rational objectives appraisal monitoring evaluation and feedback. The policymakers and therefore can be influenced by a range of factors that are not captured in the simple cycle such as a public opinion budget restriction values ideology of the people political parties interest group mass media social and economic conditions or event. The impact depending on the extent to which the policy is being amended or changed by the policy members is either diffused indirect or time-specific depending on the complexity of the issue (Clancy, Glied and Lurie, 2012). Tobacco consumption and limiting its use in the workplace is a complex process for bringing amendments in the policy.
As it is constituted different groups of people making the policy work and impactful will require a huge framework and the strategies to be employed and engaging the policymaker will be highly important for improving the chances of having the policy to be impactful. At the elementary level in order to influence the policymaker, it is important, to begin with, a plan of effective ways for bringing the changes or differences. Therefore before engaging directly with the policymaker the organizational executives and managers need to identify the message with the relevance of the policy and also determine the importance of the policy (Swinnen, 2018). For example, at any point in time If a company executive is planning to influence the policymaker regarding any form of changes in the workplace tobacco consumption policy having a different idea that can be applied to different work positions is highly important. Apart from that, it is also important to identify the key groups and individuals who implement make and influence the relevant policy and the policymakers. Therefore the involvement of Civil Servant politicians business people and professionals can be significant. Apart from that NGOs Charity International Government organizations and think tanks can also play a significant role in increasing the awareness against workplace tobacco consumption and smoking.
The most significant stakeholder engagement can be upstream for the dialogue through the engagement of the policymaker in the project life cycle can begin from the planning stage. Therefore the policymakers and another key take older version can have a useful suggestion knowledge helping in shape for the improvement of the impact. The policy for workplaces smoking and tobacco consumption is a significant policy and therefore full-scale meetings and regular conversation with the policymakers and other professionals will also be important. The workshop format in this aspect will particularly need to have a suitable framework to engage the stakeholders (OECD, 2007). By the end of the conversation, a press release about the policy brief can also be reported and an online platform for media such as Twitter can also be a powerful way to reach a large group of people that can bring certain changes in the policy community.
Therefore it can be stated that the most common and significant way for engaging the policymaker can be a large or small meeting as well as writing the policy brief. The workshop and meeting both large and small scale it can be done by finding out downtime for the target audience that is the employees of the organization. Similarly, the policy briefing can be done by making an attractive and template for the policy briefing enabling the major point findings introduction and recommendation for the policy changes. The public policies can also be influenced by other different variety of factors such as economic condition public opinion and technological changes scientific finding NGO business lobbying interest group and political activity. It is also important to consider the factors such as economic structure income distribution ideology transaction cost the cost of information governance structure that can have a significant impact on the influence process to the policymakers. The policymakers by identifying the critical issues can provide the organization with the relevant and beneficial solution along with estimating the consequences and cost of the policy proposal and actively participating in the real-time decision-making process.
Conclusion
From the above discussion, it can be concluded that the prevention of serious diseases health issues and the strategies to control them at a population level is a significant and major concern for public health institutions and organizations. By considering the workplace tobacco use this association policy the study has identified the existing issues restrictions and initiatives at the workplace for the reinforcement of employee’s health. It has also identified the alternative ways to address the issues and also has focused on the ways to influence the policymaker and bring further changes in the existing policy. Depending on the situation scenario and other environmental or economic factors in the public health policy in the UK can be brought under the change is for the improvement and the reinforcement of the employees in the workplace.
References
Action on Smoking and Health, 2016. Overall Policy – Action on Smoking and Health. [online] Action on Smoking and Health. Available at: <https://ash.org.uk/information-and-resources/law-guide/overall-policy/> [Accessed 24 November 2021].
CDC, 2021. Policies | Tobacco Use Cessation Interventions. [Online] Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/workplacehealthpromotion/health-strategies/tobacco-use/interventions/policies.html [Accessed 11 November 2021].
Clancy, C., Glied, S. and Lurie, N., 2012. From Research to Health Policy Impact. Health Services Research, [online] 47(1pt2), pp.337-343. Available at: <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3393010/> [Accessed 24 November 2021].
Department of Health and Social Care, 2018. Tobacco Control Plan Delivery Plan 2017 – 2022. [online] Assets.publishing.service.gov.uk. Available at: <https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/714365/tobacco-control-delivery-plan-2017-to-2022.pdf> [Accessed 27 November 2021].
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Manning, D., 2019. ‘What’s the Problem Represented to Be?’ A policy analysis tool designed by Carol Bacchi and some recent applications in the area of early childhood education policy. [online] Ipu Kererū. Available at: <https://nzareblog.wordpress.com/2019/06/10/wpr-ece/> [Accessed 27 November 2021].
Moher, M., Hey, K. and Lancaster, T., 2003. Workplace interventions for smoking cessation. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, [online] 12(7), p.71. Available at: <https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12804467/> [Accessed 24 November 2021].
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Swinnen, J., 2018. Factors Influencing Policy Choices. The Political Economy of Agricultural and Food Policies, [online] 13(7), pp.35-66. Available at: <https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325356307_Factors_Influencing_Policy_Choices> [Accessed 24 November 2021].
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