CHE 110 Module Two Activity Worksheet
As you complete this worksheet, use the County Health Rankings and Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention: Diseases and Conditions websites. For the last section, you may need to broaden your
search to find additional sources of information. Complete this template by replacing the bracketed text
with the relevant information.
Identify the population related to your chosen health issue. Be specific as you describe those who
are impacted by this issue. Details might include gender, geographic location, age, ethnicity, race,
socioeconomic status, and more.
My chosen health issue is mental health but that is such a broad topic so I am going to research how
mental health and smoking are related. According to estimates, 38% of adult cigarette smokers in the
United States have a mental health illness, and 35% of cigarette smokers have a mental health
condition. Although adults nationwide smoke cigarettes at a rate of 14% overall, those with
behavioral health conditions smoke at a rate of 23%. People with behavioral health disorders are two
to three times more likely than the population as a whole to be addicted to nicotine. Those who
smoke now and have prior experiences of major depression, anxiety with depression, depression, or
anxiety with depression have greater amounts of addiction, smoke a greater number of cigarettes,
and smoke more often. “The effect of smoking cessation on anxiety and depression appears to be at
least as large as that of antidepressants” (Salt & Osborne, 2020).
Identify the stakeholders related to your chosen health issue. What individuals and organizations are
related to this issue? What individuals and organizations are important resources as this issue is
addressed?
Key stakeholders in mental health include patients, caregivers and loved ones, mental health
professionals (psychiatrists, therapists), primary care physicians, healthcare administrators,
legislators, advocacy groups, community figures, teachers, businesses, insurance providers, and the
media. All of these groups are essential to the availability and caliber of mental health services.
Identify the socio-economic and cultural contexts that may impact the chosen health issue. Explain
the social determinants of health that may impact the health and well-being of the individuals and
community you identified.
Earnings level, employment status, education level, housing stability, networks of social support,
healthcare access, community security, inequality, childhood adversity, social stigma, and being
exposed to traumatic events are some examples of social determinants of health that can have a
substantial impact on an individual’s mental health and well-being. These factors can all lead to
elevated stress levels and heightened susceptibility to mental health problems.
Why does this problem need to be addressed? What will happen if this issue is not resolved?
Because there is a strong correlation between tobacco use and a higher risk of mental illnesses like
depression and anxiety, and because people with mental illness frequently smoke at significantly
higher rates, which exacerbates symptoms and leads to worse overall health outcomes, smoking
needs to be dealt with in relation to mental health. Additionally, quitting smoking can be shown to
improve mental health by decreasing symptoms of depression and anxiety, making it a crucial
component of mental health treatment plans.
What information did you gain through websites and other sources to support your answers? What
websites and other sources, including those listed at the top of this worksheet, are important to your
issue?
The County health rankings website and the CDC and prevention: Diseases and Conditions were both
extremely useful in identifying the population for my chosen topic. When I move onto my project, I
will use the Shapiro library in order to find peer reviewed and reliable websites/articles in order to
dive deeper into smoking related to mental health.
County health rankings & Roadmaps. (n.d.). County Health Rankings & Roadmaps.
https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/
FastStats. (n.d.). Diseases and Conditions. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/diseases-and-
conditions.htm
Salt, V., & Osborne, C. (2020). Mental health, smoking and poverty: benefits of supporting smokers to
quit. BJPsych Bulletin, 44(5), 213–218. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjb.2020.88
