Learning Objectives: Define the issue of women and smoking: why it is a problem, which adverse health effects are associated with smoking for women, why women continue to smoke despite strong health messages, and implications for the creation of effective interventions. Describe how smoking as a behavior relates to other health behaviors and sociodemographic characteristics of women. Assess differences in tobacco-related attitudes between men and women and how these differences may help to explain gender differences in smoking behavior.
Abstract: In the United States, cigarette smoking became common among men before women. Historically this trend has continued with rates of cigarette smoking consistently higher among men. However, the once-wide gender gap in smoking prevalence has since narrowed. This is particularly important given smoking has significant adverse health consequences that are specific to women, including risks related to pregnancy, oral contraceptive use, menstrual function, and cervical cancer. In order to create and implement effective interventions and policies, it is important to understand the reasons for the slowed smoking prevalence decline among older women and the increased prevalence among younger women. This happened despite data on the adverse health effects associated with smoking and research that has shown women to have stronger anti-tobacco attitudes and a greater knowledge of tobacco-related health consequences than men. This session will address the issue of women and tobacco, including issues related to smoking prevalence and consumption, interrelationships between smoking and other health behaviors, and tobacco-related attitude differences. A review of the relationship of smoking to adverse health effects among women will also be provided, including the conflicting research for some disease associations such as lung cancer and breast cancer.
national conference women and tobacco talk (shorter version to upload) 11-02.ppt (2032.0 kb)
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