It examines past and current efforts to reduce tobacco use among women. Most importantly, it gives a direction to what is needed in the future to more effectively help women stop smoking. The chapters thoroughly outline smoking trends, health consequences, cessation programs, and research on women and smoking. At the beginning of the century, women rarely smoked because it was socially unacceptable. Not surprisingly, lung cancer and chronic pulmonary disease were rare among women.
Smoking prevalence is highest among women with less than a high school education.
Smoking Rates Smoking rates vary among women in different U.S. ethnic groups. Smoking among African American, Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Hispanic women of reproductive age has decreased since that time. However, African Americans currently bear the greatest health burden of disease risk due to smoking. And although African American teens have the lowest rates of smoking among their peers, they still suffer the same disproportionate effects of smoking on their health. Quitting smoking substantially decreases the risk of lung, laryngeal, esophageal, oral, pancreatic, bladder, and cervical cancers.