Smoking & How to Quit

Women and Smoking

Smoking harms nearly every organ in your body. - Learn More

Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. - Learn More

Cigarette smoking kills an estimated 142,000 women in the United States every year. - Learn More

Since 1950, lung cancer deaths among women have increased by more than 600 percent. - Learn More

The risk of dying from lung cancer is about 12 times higher among women who smoke cigarettes compared with women who never smoked. - Learn More

Heart disease is the #1 killer of women in the United States. Middle aged smokers are 3 times more likely to die from coronary heart disease than non-smokers. - Learn More

Women who smoke have more heart attacks, cancers, oral health problems, and lung conditions. - Learn More

Lung cancer kills more women every year than breast cancer. - Learn More

Working women smokers report more days lost from work from illness and injury than working women who do not smoke. - Learn More

Smoking may affect your ability to get pregnant. - Learn More

Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, premature or early delivery, and infants born with low birth weight. - Learn More

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) occurs more often among babies of smoking mothers. - Learn More

Postmenopausal women who smoke have lower bone density than women who never smoked. - Learn More

Women who smoke have an increased risk for hip fracture than women who never smoked. - Learn More

Women who smoke have an increased risk for other cancers, including cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx (voice box), esophagus, pancreas, kidney, bladder, and uterine cervix. - Learn More

Women who smoke double their risk for developing coronary heart disease and increase by more than ten-fold their likelihood of dying from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. - Learn More

How Quitting Affects Your Body

20 minutes after quitting, your heart rate drops. - Learn More

12 hours after quitting, the carbon monoxide (a gas that can be toxic) in your blood drops to normal. - Learn More

2 weeks to 3 months after quitting, your heart attack risk begins to drop and your lungs are working better. - Learn More

1 to 9 months after quitting, Your coughing and shortness of breath decrease. - Learn More

1 year after quitting, your added risk for heart disease is half that of a smoker's. - Learn More

5 years after quitting, your risk of having a stroke is the same as someone who doesn't smoke. - Learn More

10 years after quitting, your risk of dying from lung cancer is half that of a smoker's. Your risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas also decreases. - Learn More

5 years after quitting, your risk of heart disease is now the same as someone who doesn't smoke. - Learn More

Most people only gain 6-8 pounds when they quit. - Learn More

Quitting smoking before the age of 65 reduces by nearly half a person’s risk of dying of a smoking-related disease. - Learn More

Unlike so many other conditions or diseases, you have the power to protect yourself from smoking-related illnesses or death. The benefits of not smoking start within days of quitting. - Learn More

Don't get discouraged if you start smoking again! Remember that many women try 2 or 3 times to quit before they give up smoking for good. Think about what helped you and what didn't the last time you tried quitting. And ask your family, friends, coworkers - Learn More

Unlike so many other health conditions or diseases, you have the power to prevent yourself from suffering from smoking-related illnesses or death. The benefits of not smoking start within days of quitting. - Learn More

Teens and Smoking

Teens who smoke are more likely than teens who don't smoke to use alcohol and other drugs. Smoking is also related to other risky behaviors, such as fighting and engaging in unprotected sex. - Learn More

Way more young people don't smoke than do. - Learn More

The younger you begin to smoke, the more likely you are to be an adult smoker. Young people who start smoking at an earlier age are more likely to develop long-term nicotine addiction than people who start later. - Learn More

Children who use tobacco cough and have asthma attacks more often, leading to more sick days, more doctor bills, and poorer athletic performance. Teens who smoke have smaller lungs and weaker hearts than teens who don't smoke. - Learn More

Parents matter and do make a difference! Despite the influence of movies, music and TV, parents have the greatest influence on their children. - Learn More

Be a good role model - don't smoke and quit if you do. Try not to smoke around your children. This gives them a mixed message. - Learn More

Your children are never too young to learn about the dangers of tobacco. Start talking to them at age 5 or 6 and teach them how to say no. - Learn More

Kids who use tobacco may: Cough and have asthma attacks more often and develop respiratory problems leading to more sick days, more doctor bills, and poorer athletic performance. Be more likely to use alcohol and other drugs such as cocaine and marijuana. - Learn More

Young people vastly underestimate the addictiveness of nicotine. Of daily smokers who think that they will not smoke in five years, nearly 75 percent are still smoking five to six years later. - Learn More

Cigarette smoking causes significant health problems among children and adolescents including coughing, shortness of breath, production of phlegm, more respiratory illnesses, reduced physical fitness, an increased risk for heart disease, decreased lung g - Learn More

Each day in the United States, approximately 4,000 young people between the ages of 12 and 17 years initiate cigarette smoking - Learn More

Each day, nearly 4,000 children 12 to 17 years of age start smoking; of these, nearly 1,140 will become regular smokers. - Learn More

Teens who smoke have smaller lungs and weaker hearts and get sick more often than teens who don't smoke. - Learn More

Teens who smoke are more likely than nonsmoking teens to use alcohol and other drugs. - Learn More

Population Statistics about Smoking

An estimated 18.1% of American women 18 years or older are current cigarette smokers. - Learn More

About 4,000 people between the ages of 12 and 17 years try their first cigarette each day. - Learn More

Every day, about 1,140 young people between the ages of 12 and 17 become daily smokers. - Learn More

More than one out of every five high school girls is a current smoker. - Learn More

The three leading smoking-related causes of death in women are lung cancer (45,000), heart disease (40,000), and chronic lung disease (42,000). - Learn More

Each year 438,000 Americans die from smoking-related illnesses. - Learn More

Secondhand smoke causes 150,000–300,000 new cases of bronchitis and pneumonia in children aged less than 18 months. - Learn More

Other Facts about Smoking

Smoking can wreck lungs and reduce oxygen available for muscles used during sports. - Learn More

Smokers run slower and can't run as far. - Learn More

Tobacco smoke can make hair and clothes stink. - Learn More

Tobacco stains teeth and causes bad breath. - Learn More

Secondhand smoke causes wheezing, coughing, colds, earaches, and asthma attacks. - Learn More

Nicotine is as addictive as heroin and cocaine. - Learn More

Chewing tobacco, snuff, and cigars are not safer than cigarettes. Low-tar and additive-free cigarettes are not safe either. More boys use chewing tobacco or snuff than do girls. - Learn More

Spit tobacco and cigars are not safe alternatives to cigarettes. Low-tar and additive-free cigarettes are not safe either. - Learn More

Did you know that cigarettes contain over 4,000 chemicals? - Learn More

Content last updated March 19, 2008.

Fast Facts

Women and Smoking

How Quitting Affects Your Body

Teens and Smoking

Population Statistics about Smoking

Other Facts about Smoking