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Women and Tobacco
Fact sheet
May 2004
Health Effects and Mortality
- Cigarette smoking kills an estimated 178,000 women in the United States annually.1 The three leading smoking-related causes of death in women are lung cancer (44,000), heart disease (41,000), and chronic lung disease (37,500).1
- Ninety percent of all lung cancer deaths in women smokers are attributable to smoking.2 Since 1950, lung cancer deaths among women have increased by more than 600%. By 1987, lung cancer had surpassed breast cancer as the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women.2
- Women who smoke have an increased risk for other cancers, including cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx (voice box), esophagus, pancreas, kidney, bladder, and uterine cervix.2 Women who smoke double their risk for developing coronary heart disease and increase by more than ten-fold their likelihood of dying from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.2,3
- Cigarette smoking increases the risk for infertility, preterm delivery, stillbirth, low birth weight, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).2
- Postmenopausal women who smoke have lower bone density than women who never smoked.2 Women who smoke have an increased risk for hip fracture than never smokers.2
National Estimates of Tobacco Use
- An estimated 20% of adult U.S. women aged 18 years or older (more than 1 of 5) are current cigarette smokers.4 Cigarette smoking estimates for women by age are as follows: 18–24 years (24.6%), 25–44 years (22.8%), 45–64 years (21.1%), and 65 years or older (8.6%).4
- Prevalence of cigarette smoking is highest among women who are American Indians or Alaska Natives (40.9%), followed by whites (21.8%), African Americans (18.7%), Hispanics (10.8%), and Asians [excluding Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders] (6.5%).4
- Cigarette smoking estimates are highest for women with a General Educational Development (GED) diploma (37.2%) or 9–11 years of education (30.9%), and lowest for women with an undergraduate college degree (10.5%) or a graduate college degree (6.4%).4
- Smoking prevalence is higher among women living below the poverty level (30.1%) compared with women living at or above the poverty level (19.7%).4
- An estimated 17.3% of pregnant women aged 15–44 years smoke cigarettes, compared with 31.1% of nonpregnant women of the same age.5
- The use of cigars and smokeless tobacco among adult women is generally low—1.7% of women are current cigar smokers,6 and 0.4% are current smokeless tobacco users.7
References
- CDC. Annual smoking-attributable mortality, years of potential life lost, and economic costs—United States, 1995–1999. (
 PDF - 220k) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2002;51(14):300–303. Accessed: May 2004.
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Women and Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, CDC, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health; 2001. Accessed: May 2004.
- Novotny TE, Giovino, GE. Tobacco use. In: Brownson RC, Remington PL, Davis JR (eds). Chronic Disease Epidemiology and Control, 2nd ed. Washington, DC: American Public Health Association, 1998. pp. 117–148.
- CDC. Cigarette smoking among adults—United States, 2002. ( PDF - 456k) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2004;53(20):427–431. Accessed: May 2004.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Results from the 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings, Tobacco Use. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies; 2003. Accessed: May 2004.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Results from the 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. ( PDF - 111k) Detailed Tables. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies; 2003. Accessed: May 2004.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Results from the 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health Detailed Tables. ( PDF - 111k) Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies; 2003. Accessed: May 2004.
Note: The next update of this fact sheet is scheduled for May 2005. More recent information may be available at the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health Web site: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco.
For Further Information
Office on Smoking and Health
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Mailstop K-50
4770 Buford Hwy., NE
Atlanta, GA 30341-3717
770-488-5705
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco
Media Inquiries: Contact the Office on Smoking and Health press line at 770-488-5493.
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