Sociological Theory and Teenage Smoking

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11/25/13 Heather Zink RN to MSN Student ID: 000310366 hzink@wgu.edu A. Describe the social problem you have chosen. Cigarette smoking is a social problem that is still common today. It may not have the public endorsement of the popular media that it once had, but smoking remains a widespread problem. Despite the stigma of cigarette smoking for multiple reasons, such as the risks to one’s health, the impact it has on one’s looks (ie. premature aging and negative results on oral health), the inherent weakness inferred when one develops an addiction, and the social slights that one may experience as more and more non-smoking laws are passed for the public, new users light up every day. Often these new smokers are underage. The fact that cigarette use is illegal for those under age 18, has not stopped children from becoming smokers. B. Analyze the extent to which the social problem affects the United States. Each day in the United States, nearly 4,000 people younger than 18 years of age smoke their first cigarette, and an estimated 1,000 youth in that age group become new daily cigarette smokers. This means that nearly 400,000 young people become daily smokers each year (2013 Smoking). It is not uncommon to see teens smoking openly in public, which may be an example of our society’s acceptance of the habit, or it may be due to a lack of concern for children that we do not feel directly responsible for. However, we all bear the cost of this habit, because these smokers that have started so young are also damaging their health. This adds up to additional costs for all Americans, in loss of productivity when workers are out ill for smoking related health issues and direct costs for their health care expenses. C. Use sociological theory to help explain at least one of the causes for the social problem you have chosen. One might ask,

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