Our group decided to meet at the Starbucks in
downtown Athens to discuss our public health blog project. After outlining who
would be responsible for what, we decided to walk around downtown Athens to see
if we could find some good examples of public health. Before we even stepped
out of the door at Starbucks we encountered this sign on the door reminding
people that Starbucks is a smoke free environment. We thought that it would
take us a while to find an example of public health, but it took no time at
all, which proves just how important and relevant public health is in all of
our lives.
In the medical dictionary public health is
defined as “the science and practice of protecting and improving the health of
a community, as by preventive medicine, health education, control of
communicable diseases, application of sanitary measures, and monitoring of
environmental hazards”. This no smoking sign is an example of public health
because it is Starbucks attempt to provide their customers with the most
sanitary and healthy environment possible. Also, this no smoking sign reinforces the message to the
public that smoking is dangerous and therefore, acts as a source of health
education.
We chose this example because we believe that
smoking is a public health issue that needs to be noticed and talked about.
Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. It
results in a host of diseases and debilitating conditions, yet 1 in 5 Americans
smoke and 4,000 young people under the age of 18 start smoking every day. The
more places that put up signs like the one we encountered on the door at
Starbucks the harder it will become for people to smoke and the better our
public health will be.
We thought this was an important example because it
shows just how prevalent public health is in our everyday lives. Even a company
like Starbucks is working everyday to improve public health for their customers
and community. Also, if people recognize that this is an example of public
health it may help them further understand just how harmful smoking can be to
their personal health and to the health of those around them.
Megan Maziar
Mara Stein
Stephanie Perlman
I love that y'all talked about the non-smoking laws! I recently visited a state this summer that still allows smoking in public restaurants and it shocked me on how effected I was. Not that long ago, we had to request "smoking" or "non-smoking" when we went out to eat. Now however it is so great to not have trouble breathing when you go out.
ReplyDeleteStarbucks is definitely one of my favorite places. Not only do they have the best coffee but they also have a nice studying environment as well as a smoke free environment. Most coffee shops allow their customers to smoke cigarettes near their shops because of the many people who love to pair their coffee with a cigarette. Starbucks made a bold statement by claiming they are a smoke free environment. They could potentially lose some customers, however they are promoting public health. We recently learned in class the devastating effects of smoking as well as second hand smoke. It is important for the public to be aware as well and promote a safe, healthy environment.
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