Navigation, Contact Info, and Legend for the OSH Website
• View By Topic
• Quick Links
• About this Office
Contact Info
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Office on Smoking and Health
Tel: 1-800-CDC-INFO
(1-800-232-4636)
TTY: 1-888-232-6348
E-mail: tobaccoinfo@cdc.gov
Legend
= Link to a PDF document
(Adobe Acrobat™ Reader needs to be installed on your computer in order to read PDF documents.)
Download the Reader
= Link to nonfederal Web site
Disclaimer on nonfederal Web sites
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWRs)
Smoking Prevalence Among Women of Reproductive Age, United States—2006
August 8, 2008 / Vol. 57 / No. 31
MMWR Highlights
Prevalence
- Median smoking prevalence for women of reproductive age stood at 22.4%,
which is higher than the 18.5% median smoking prevalence reported for women aged
> 18 years
in a separate study of the general population.
- There was a six-fold difference among the states and the territories in
cigarette smoking prevalence by women of reproductive age ranging from 5.8% in the U.S.
Virgin Islands to 34.7% in Kentucky.
- In terms of current smoking, prevalence was highest among—
- Non-Hispanic whites (24.5%).
- Those with a high school education (29.4%).
- Those with less than high school education (28.3%).
- Divorced, widowed, or separated women (34.7%).
Quit Attempts
- Those aged 18–24 years (26.3%), non-Hispanic blacks (24.5%), and
those with less than a high school education (24.7%) had the lowest percent of ever
smokers who quit.
- Those with a college education (59.7%) and married women (49.6%)
had the highest percent of ever smokers who had quit.
- Those aged 18–24 years (68.4%) and non-Hispanic blacks (68.1%)
had the highest prevalence of quit attempts.
- Among women of reproductive age, those aged 18–24 years were most
likely to have attempted to quit (68.4%), but least likely to have quit smoking
successfully (26.3%).
- Among women of reproductive age, the percent of ever smokers who
have quit varied among the states and the territories; for example
- U.S. Virgin Islands (51.0%) and California (50.4%) had the
highest rates.
- Louisiana (26.8%) and Mississippi (27.3%) had the lowest rates.
- Among women of reproductive age, the percent of ever smokers who
made a quit attempt in the previous year varied among the states and the territories;
for example
- Delaware (67.7%) and Puerto Rico (66.6%) had the highest proportion.
- Arizona (33.6%) and Kentucky (43.4%) had the lowest.
Health Impact and Economic Costs of Smoking by Women of Reproductive Age
- Women of reproductive age who smoke are at increased risk for multiple
adverse pregnancy-related health outcomes, including difficulty conceiving, infertility,
spontaneous abortion, premature rupture of membranes, low birth weight, neonatal mortality,
stillbirth, preterm delivery, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
- These women also are at increased risk for adverse health outcomes, including
lung and other cancers, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and heart disease.
- Children living in households in which an adult smokes are often exposed
to secondhand smoke, with the associated adverse health consequences and economic costs. In addition,
youth living with adults that model smoking behavior are more likely to become smokers themselves.
- Estimated neonatal health care costs attributable to maternal smoking are
approximately $366 million per year in the United States.
- Smoking cessation is beneficial at any age, but the relative benefits of
cessation are greater if women can stop smoking at younger ages, before they develop
smoking-related diseases.
Page last modified 08/07/2008