According to the UK Department of Health, there are 13 million smokers in Britain, with 8 million wanting to stop and 4 million trying to stop smoking every year. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report that about 5 million people worldwide die from tobacco use. Smoking is a major preventable cause of premature death and disease. Now the Sex & Smoking study commissioned for No Smoking Day reports that women are more emotionally addicted to smoking than men. No Smoking Day is an independent charity founded in London, UK to help people who want to stop smoking.
The Sex & Smoking study, commissioned by No Smoking Day, examined the gender differences in men and women who smoke. The researchers analyzed data from two surveys, including the European Union (EU) survey of a random sample of smokers in the UK, and the Health Education Authority (HEA) survey of a random sample of smokers in England. They found that there are about the same number of male smokers (29%) as female smokers (28%). However, men and women have different psychological and physical smoking dependencies.
The researchers found that 48% of women smokers reported they were unable to cope without a cigarette, compared to 35% of male smokers. Findings also revealed that 48 percent of women smokers say smoking gave them confidence and 44 percent consider smoking their main source of pleasure. Furthermore, 61 percent of women who smoke reported they would find it difficult to get through the day without smoking. However, 47 percent of male smokers said they wanted to stop smoking to improve their health and improve their fitness, compared to 39 percent of women smokers. Men also smoke more cigarettes daily than women.
"What this report shows is that men and women smoke for different reasons and this impacts their attempts to quit," says study author Robert West, Professor of Psychology at St George's Hospital Medical School. "Family pressures and worries about stress and weight gain are at the forefront of women's minds. Men seem more self-motivated, quitting for their health and more personal reasons, and making quit attempts on their own."
REFERENCES:
1. West R and McEwen A. Sex & Smoking: Comparisons Between Male & Female Smokers. No Smoking Day, March, 1999: http://www.ash.org.uk/html/health/html/nsdr99.html
2. Women emotionally addicted to smoking. BBCNews, March 8, 1999:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/291300.stm
Posted by Elaine Gavalas on August 19, 2006 02:29 PM
