According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Office on Smoking and Health, about 23 million adult women and at least 1.5 million adolescent girls smoke cigarettes, despite what we know about death, disease and addiction caused by smoking.1-2
Overall smoking prevalence among women aged 18 and older has decreased from 34% in 1965 to 24.7% in 1997. However, the earlier trend toward a reduction in smoking by women has leveled off. Currently, it's estimated that 23% of all American women smoke.
Female smokers typically take up smoking during adolescence, usually before their senior year in high school, often in middle school/junior high. The earlier a young women begins smoking, the more likely she is to be a heavy smoker as an adult.1,3
Entering adolescence can be a particularly difficult and confusing time for girls. Tobacco advertising and promotion exploits vulnerable young girls' feelings of insecurity about their identity. Girls who have been aggressive, self-confident, athletic, or who have excelled in school (particularly in math or science) may begin to get messages that these behaviors are not "feminine." Cigarette ads targeting women depict sexy, attractive, traditionally feminine women.
1 MMWR. 1996;45(27):588-90
2 1994 Surgeon General's Report
3 CDC Office on Health and Smoking, 1998 |
