Tobacco use among young girls is increasing drastically around the globe and at an often faster rate than among boys, the Irish Cancer Society (ICS) said at a national conference today.
Professor Robert West, University College London
In Ireland, 27 per cent of the population are reported to smoke (28 per cent men and 26 per cent women) and the highest smoking rates are among younger people and in lower socio-economic groups, the conference, entitled "Key Challenges in Tobacco Control", heard.
The ICS says that 95 per cent of lung cancer cases are caused by smoking and therefore preventable. There are an estimated 1.3 billion smokers in the world, and the death toll from tobacco consumption is now 4.9 million people a year.
Speaking at the conference, Professor Robert West of the Health Behaviour Unit at University College London said: "Women are just as susceptible as men to addiction to nicotine though the pattern of dependence shows some differences. Women report more smoking for stress and weight control."
He added that lone mothers in particular report low self-esteem as a key factor for taking up smoking and say that smoking gives them a way to take a break and have some time for themselves.
Norma Cronin, a health promotion manager with the ICS, said: "In order to encourage smoking cessation, support is required for other areas of life, such as lifestyle issues, medical and social issues, childcare techniques and helping low-income women to break down barriers to access smoking cessation services."