[Suggested anchor lead: Over the past two decades, three million American Women have died prematurely—from smoking. A new report from the Surgeon General's office looks at how smoking affects America's women—and the news is not good. (Teresa Bruce) has more.]

[Woman smoking]

[Footage from press conference]

MS. BRUCE: Women who smoke like men, die like men. That's what the Surgeon General said today at a press conference in the nation's capital. He released the first report since 1980 to look at the dangers of tobacco use to women.

A key finding... since 1987, more women have died of lung cancer than breast cancer.

[Shots of women on the street]

[CU smoking shots]

Women and men who smoke share the same risk for smoking-related diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and emphysema. But women also experience other dangers.

U.S. SURGEON GENERAL DAVID SATCHER: Women who smoke can have complications with pregnancy. They can have low birth weight. But in addition to that women who smoke can have problems with delayed fertility and maybe even problems with fertility. So all of those are concerns. Infant mortality increases in the babies of women who smoke.

[Men and women smoking outside office buildings]

MS. BRUCE: Cigarette smoking was once considered a primarily male behavior, but the number of female smokers has nearly caught up to the number of male smokers.

[Young women smoking on street]

[Woman buying cigarettes]

The report shows that nearly all women who smoke started as teens, and trends show that smoking rates seem to be on the rise among young women 18 to 24.

[Images from cigarette advertising]

[Surgeon General in office]

U.S. SURGEON GENERAL DAVID SATCHER: We estimate that the tobacco industry is investing over $8 billion a year in marketing tobacco. And women have been a primary target. The whole concept of women exhibiting their independence and success by smoking continues to be a strategy of the tobacco industry. We’re very concerned about that.

[Christy walking up to podium]

MS. BRUCE: Cover model Christy Turlington and Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson joined the Surgeon General to draw attention to the issue.

COVER MODEL CHRISTY TURLINGTON: I think in the role that I have as a model and as a person in the public, my effort is to demystify those glamorous images that have been so prevalent for so many years. I also want to encourage some of my peers to do the same.

SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TOMMY G. THOMPSON: What starts out as a simple puff is turning into a death sentence for thousands of women. And we cannot afford to lose one woman in our society, particularly from needless smoking-related deaths.

MS. BRUCE: This is Teresa Bruce reporting.

[End of video tape.]

Disclaimer: Data and findings provided on this page reflect the content of this particular Surgeon General's Report. More recent information may exist elsewhere on the Smoking & Tobacco Use Web site (for example, in fact sheets, frequently asked questions, or other materials that are reviewed on a regular basis and updated accordingly).

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Page last updated March 27, 2001

Content source: Office on Smoking and Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

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