Sociology

Tobacco intake remains the leading cause of controllable death in America today (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009). This alarming ratio is compounded by the fact that not only those who are above the age of eighteen that are involved in this social menace, this vice has eaten up into the heart of our community to the extent that college students below age 18 are also caught up in this mess. In a research carried out by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2009, it was discovered that about 20% of high school student are smokers (CDC, 2009). Apart from this, the report shows that another 1,000 high school students lower that the age of 18 begin smoking on a daily basis everyday in America (CDC, 2009).
The responsibility of making sure that we a healthier society is a joint responsibility of the government and the people. Although the government is charged with the primary responsibility of protecting its citizens, the truth is that we cannot leave the government to deal with the problem alone. We as citizens of this country have the same responsibility – of making sure that our society remains healthy by looking out for our fellow man. In savaging this situation, a lot of things can be done. As a citizen, developing a passion for this cause is not something that is out of place but needed. We must realize the fact that as a unit, you can make a change – a change that might change the lives of several Americans. It all begins with a choice.

As mentioned above, the situation that will be dealt with through social work advocacy is smoking, particularly by those below the age of 18 in America. This group is chosen as a target because they are pivotal in curbing the rate of smoking in America in the next generation. Reaching out to this group will go a long way in not only reducing the deaths that are preventable but also ensure that the unborn generation bothers less about the problem of smoking.

Although there are several mediums in which this goal can be achieved, I favor the media advocacy. In country today, the media is perhaps the most influential mode of socialization that builds the average American child. As a result in a decline of parenting influence, teenagers have resorted to the media in search of truth and something to believe in, thus, looking up to their favorite actor or actress, TV presenter or program as a guide to living their lives. The Media plays an important role in the sense that it is impossible to reduce smoking among these group if they are not aware of how grave the situation is. Teenagers must be aware of the dangers inherent in smoking and danger it constitutes for not only them but those who are around them.

The social work advocacy will be targeted at the owners of media agencies and screenwriters. Persuading the media owners will result in the direct influencing of TV presenters to directly frown at smoking as a vice in the society. More importantly, the screenwriters need to be influenced. Smoking is used to portray romance and adulthood in The American movie industry (American Cancer Society, 2009). Making these screenwriters see the influence this act is having on their viewers, especially those below the age of 18 and making a change as a result of this will be beneficial to the overall success of the advocacy.

Teenagers are not born to be smokers, they are influenced to smoke. The lives of these teenagers are in our hand - should we choose to make profit or choose to do the right thing? If you save a teenager from smoking, you are saving a whole generation. Support good health… act right.