There are several ways health professionals could do to educate and change the behavior of individuals. First, cessation counseling and medication correlates with smokers’ chances of quitting. The quitting cigarette smoking campaign is significant to people of all ages. The use of cessation counseling and medication has proven useful by increasing the quit rate. The 2000-2015 statistics showed that the use of cessation counseling and medication increased from 21.9% to 31.2% (Babb, 2017). Since 70% of smokers visit health professional annually, a brief advice to quit increases the quit rate (Babb, 2017). Therefore, the role of health care professional is to identify patients who smoke, advise them to quit and offer cessation treatment.
Second, participating in physical activities increases the chances of avoiding chronic diseases. Adults aged 50 years and older can delay, prevent or manage chronic diseases by engaging in physical activities that suit them (Watson, 2016). The 2014 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System reported that inactivity prevalence increases with the increase in age. The overall inactivity was 27.5% of adults above the age of 50 years (Watson, 2016). Moreover, women recorded higher inactivity compared to men. The best approach that can help improve physical activity is to design and enhance the community to make it safer and easier for individuals of all ages. Moreover, health care professionals can counsel patients, write prescriptions for physical activities and refer them to community programs.
References
Babb, S. (2017). Quitting smoking among adults—United States, 2000–2015. MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 65(52), 1457-1464.
Watson, K. B. (2016). Physical inactivity among adults aged 50 years and older—United States, 2014. MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 65(36), 954-958.
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