As recently reported, the Surgeon General's 2001 report states that lung cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death among U.S. women. About 90 percent of all lung cancer deaths among women are attributed to smoking. The Surgeon General's report states that this year alone lung cancer will kill nearly 68,000 U.S. women, that's one in every four-cancer deaths among women. In 1999 approximately 165,000 women died prematurely from smoking related diseases, like cancer and heart disease. Women face many serious health effects from smoking, such as cervical, bladder and liver cancers, heart disease, increased risk of stroke as well as problems related to pregnancy.
Studies show that nearly all women who smoke started as teenagers.
The tobacco companies have done a fine job of advertising in magazines that young women read and in the ads women are portrayed as beautiful, slim and liberated. One advertisement actually shows a young woman pushing away a plate of fries at a food stand as she smokes a cigarette. What this says to young women is it's better to smoke than eat. Often women continue to smoke due to fear of weight gain and to relieve stress. In reality only 25 percent of women who quit smoking gain weight and the average weight gain is only five to seven pounds.