Cigarette smoking effects on Hungarian women

Namita Nayyar (WF Team)

13 years ago

Cigarette smoking effects on Hungarian women

– Reported, January 24, 2012

Cigarette smoking is widespread among Hungarian women, which accounts for the high mortality rate of lung cancer . The percentage of deaths due to smoking related diseases in Hungary is steadily increasing among women and unfortunately the prevalence of smoking has increased among young women in Hungary in the past years, in fact it has surpassed the prevalence of smoking among young men. The average age of smoking initiation was found to shift to a younger age,in 1994 it was 18.1 years of age . In 1995 28.1% of the adult female population smoked with a peak among 30-39 year olds (37%). Increased smoking was found among divorced and widowed women.
Studies show that cigarette smoking is mainly initiated in adolescence , its frequency steadily increases among adolescent girls , and that women are more likely to smoke during adolescence and adulthood . Women seem to have a greater susceptibility to lung cancer at a given level of smoking, an increased prevalence of smoking leads to dramatically increasing mortality rates from smoking-related diseases among women . There is a growing debate concerning the etiology of smoking,women have been found to smoke more frequently because of psychological or social factors, than men . Demographic variables associated with smoking were found to be younger age, lower socioeconomic status, poor education, caring for pre-school children, dissatisfaction with female caring roles, and financial stress . Women
living in a low socioeconomic situation have been shown to smoke at an increased rate,because smoking is used as a coping mechanism with stress, frustration, boredom ,and material insecurity .
The initiation of smoking among young women is in close association with social learning and social bonding within the family, school and peer groups . For example, smoking in adolescents who have friends who smoke can be an important risk factor, even more so than parental smoking . Although the causes of cigarette smoking during adolescence are not completely understood, in many cases smoking initiation can be considered a form of experimentation consistent with a non-adaptive coping response to immediate concerns and feelings . Tobacco dependence has many aspects in youth, the cause of smoking being in part an assistant to making social contacts, feeling pleasure, being empowering, used as an emotional coping mechanism, and feeling full-fledged.
Epidemiological studies found a strong relationship between depression and smoking, but regarding time sequence studies are inconsistent . For example in one study, adolescents were found initiate smoking at an increased rate if they were suffering from depressive symptoms . It has been postulated that depressed people may use nicotine as a form of self-medication in an attempt to treat their symptoms or
improve their psychological well-being. Goodmans study among teenagers showed that those who became depressed had a higher prevalence of smoking beforehand, suggesting that smoking actually resulted in depression in this age-group. Smoking has also been associated with anxiety in both adolescents and adults .

Credits:
Csilla T. Csoboth, M.D, Prof. Dr. Maria Kopp & Prof. Dr. Péter Rajn.

More Information at:http://phd.sote.hu/mwp/phd_live/vedes/export/csoboth.d.pdf