Women and smoking: issues and opportunities

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Women's Health
• Tobacco Control

Background:

• The 2001 Surgeon General's report 'Women and Smoking' highlighted the urgent need to address tobacco use among women.
• Smoking has caused 3 million premature deaths in women since 1980.
• Lung cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death for U.S. women, surpassing breast cancer.

Purpose of the Study:

• To emphasize the critical need for reducing tobacco use among women.
• To highlight the potential of evidence-based tobacco control programs to achieve national health objectives.
• To demonstrate the effectiveness of comprehensive tobacco control strategies for women's health.

Main Methods:

• Review of the U.S. Surgeon General's report 'Women and Smoking'.
• Analysis of national and state-level smoking prevalence and mortality data.
• Examination of the impact of comprehensive tobacco control programs, using California as a case study.

Main Results:

• Comprehensive tobacco control programs, with adequate funding, yield dramatic results.
• California's comprehensive program led to smoking prevalence declining twice as fast as the national average.
• In California, lung cancer incidence decreased by 4.8% in women, while it increased by 13% nationwide.

Conclusions:

• Tobacco-related diseases represent an epidemic in women's health.
• Evidence-based strategies and dedicated resources can reverse negative health trends.
• Achieving significant reductions in smoking rates among women and girls is attainable.