Women and smoking
Cigarette smoking prevalence among women
• Cigarette smoking was rare among women in the early 20th century. Cigarette smoking became prevalent among women after it did among men, and smoking prevalence has always been lower among women than among men. However, the gender-specific difference in smoking prevalence narrowed between 1965 and 1985. Since 1985, the decline in prevalence among men and women has been comparable.• Smoking prevalence decreased among women from 33.9% in 1965 to 22.0% in 1998. Most of this decline occurred from 1974 through 1990; prevalence declined very little from 1992 through 1998.
• The prevalence of current smoking is three times higher among women with 9-11 years of education (32.9%) than among women with 16 or more years of education (11.2%).
• Smoking prevalence is higher among women living below the poverty level (29.6%) than among those living at or above the poverty level (21.6%).
Cigarette smoking among racial/ethnic populations of women
• In 1997-1998, 34.5% of American Indian or Alaska Native, 23.5% of white, 21.9% of African American, 13.8% of Hispanic, and 11.2% Asian/Pacific Islander women were current smokers.• Among white women and African American women, smoking prevalence decreased from 1965 through 1998. The prevalence of current smoking was generally comparable, but from 1970 through 1985 it was higher—some years significantly so— among African American women. In 1990, it was higher among white women in 1990.
• From 1965 through 1998, the decline in smoking prevalence among Hispanic women was significantly less than among white and African American women.
• Among Asian American or Pacific Islander women, smoking prevalence decreased from 1979 through 1992, but then increased from 1995 through 1998. Prevalence changed little from 1979 through 1998 among American Indian or Alaska Native women.
Cigarette smoking among girls and young women
• Among high school senior girls, past-month current smoking rates decreased from 39.9% in 1977 to 25.8% in 1992, but increased to 35.3% during 1997. In 2000, smoking prevalence declined again to 29.7%.• Much of the progress in reducing smoking prevalence among girls in the 1970s and 1980s was lost with the increase in prevalence in the 1990s. Current smoking rates among high school senior girls were the same in 2000 as in 1988.
• In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the prevalence of smoking among high school seniors was higher among girls than among boys, but the decline in smoking prevalence from 1976 through 1992 was more rapid among girls than among boys. Since the mid 1980s, smoking prevalence among girls and boys has been similar.
• From 1991 to 1996, current smoking prevalence in the past 30 days increased from 13.1% to 21.1% among 8th grade girls but decreased to 14.7% in 2000. Among 10th grade girls, current smoking prevalence in the past 30 days increased from 20.7% in 1991 to 31.1% in 1997 but decreased to 23.6% in 2000.
• Aggregated data from 1976-1977 through 1991-1992 showed a dramatic decline in past-month cigarette smoking among African American high school senior girls (from 37.5% to 7.0%) compared with the decline among white girls (from 39.9% read more
