WOMEN AND SMOKING
An epidemic of smoking-related cancer
and disease in women
When calling attention to public health problems, we must not misuse the word "epidemic." But there is no better word to describe the 600-percent increase since 1950 in women's death rates for lung cancer, a disease primarily caused by cigarette smoking. Clearly, smoking-related disease among women is a full-blown epidemic. --
David Satcher, MD, PhD
Smoking is the most preventable cause of early death in this country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), smoking-related diseases causes the deaths of about 178,000 women in the U.S. each year. On average, these women died 14.5 years earlier because they smoked.
The most recent CDC survey (from 2008) showed that more than 1 in 6 American women aged 18 years or older (18.3%) smoked cigarettes. The highest rates were seen among American-Indian and Alaska-Native women (22.4%), followed by white (20.6%), African-American (17.8%), Hispanic (10.7%), and Asian women (4.7%). The less education a woman has, the more likely it is she will smoke. For instance, women with less than a high school education are more than twice as likely to smoke as college graduates.
Overall, women are less likely to smoke than men. But it has been found that smoking is more popular among younger than older women. This is an alarming trend that will affect the future health of these young women. About 21% of women ages 25 to 44 smoke; only about 8% of women 65 and over do. If these younger women continue to smoke as they get older, they will have more smoking-related illness and disability. Smoking rates are slightly lower among women aged 18 to 24, about 19%.
Women who smoke nearly always begin as teenagers -- usually before high school graduation. And the younger a girl is when she starts, the more heavily she is likely to use tobacco as an adult. Teenage girls are just as likely to smoke as boys. The most recent CDC surveys showed that 19% of female high school students and 6% of middle school girls had smoked at least one cigarette in the past 30 days. More than 9% of 12th grade girls reported that they had smoked at least one cigar in the past month. Nearly 29% of the senior girls had used some form of tobacco in the past month.
David Satcher, MD, PhD
Smoking is the most preventable cause of early death in this country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), smoking-related diseases causes the deaths of about 178,000 women in the U.S. each year. On average, these women died 14.5 years earlier because they smoked.
The most recent CDC survey (from 2008) showed that more than 1 in 6 American women aged 18 years or older (18.3%) smoked cigarettes. The highest rates were seen among American-Indian and Alaska-Native women (22.4%), followed by white (20.6%), African-American (17.8%), Hispanic (10.7%), and Asian women (4.7%). The less education a woman has, the more likely it is she will smoke. For instance, women with less than a high school education are more than twice as likely to smoke as college graduates.
Overall, women are less likely to smoke than men. But it has been found that smoking is more popular among younger than older women. This is an alarming trend that will affect the future health of these young women. About 21% of women ages 25 to 44 smoke; only about 8% of women 65 and over do. If these younger women continue to smoke as they get older, they will have more smoking-related illness and disability. Smoking rates are slightly lower among women aged 18 to 24, about 19%.
Women who smoke nearly always begin as teenagers -- usually before high school graduation. And the younger a girl is when she starts, the more heavily she is likely to use tobacco as an adult. Teenage girls are just as likely to smoke as boys. The most recent CDC surveys showed that 19% of female high school students and 6% of middle school girls had smoked at least one cigarette in the past 30 days. More than 9% of 12th grade girls reported that they had smoked at least one cigar in the past month. Nearly 29% of the senior girls had used some form of tobacco in the past month.
