If the backsliding continues, the consequences will be devastating to women, who as a group traditionally have smoked less than men, the report said. Women now account for 39 percent of smoking-related deaths, a proportion that has more than doubled since 1965. That's five more than she wants to smoke, but Jones, a sophomore at Lincoln Park High School, says she is unlikely to stop. I've seen photos of lung cancer and my grandfather died of it.
Tobacco industries prey on insecurities of young girls.
But if teenage girls hang onto the habit, that gap will narrow. Last year, a government survey found that 30 percent of female high school seniors said they had smoked in the previous month, an increase from the early 1990s. Schools, grappling with the growing problem, have tried not only punishment but also treatment, like counseling. In Rolling Meadows an anti-tobacco group unsuccessfully urged a high school in Arlington Heights to consider providing nicotine patches to students. There are signs that public awareness of the dangers of smoking has improved.