The American journal of the medical sciences
-
Millions of American girls and women have been drawn to smoking by an industry that has been clearly and systematically targeting women of all ages and life circumstances. Big tobacco's well-timed marketing strategies skillfully link cigarette use to typical female values: independence, self-reliance, weight control, stress management, social progress and popularity, personal attractiveness, autonomy, self-fulfillment, youth, happiness, personal success, health, and active, vigorous, and strenuous lifestyles. Biologically speaking, women are especially vulnerable to the legion of health problems of tobacco use. ⋯ Women and girls who smoke represent diverse subgroups of the population with unique issues and needs. The 2001 Surgeon General's Report on Women and Smoking stresses the importance of multistrategy programs for treating female smokers. This approach includes antitobacco media campaigns, increases in tobacco prices, promotion of nonsmoking in public places, curbs on tobacco advertising and promotion, enforcement of legislation to reduce youth access to tobacco products, and effective tobacco use treatment programs.
-
The Public Health Service Guideline, Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence, contains a wealth of information regarding current treatment practices. Unfortunately, guidance for tailoring standardized treatments to meet the needs of specific ethnic subgroups is limited. This article highlights features unique to African American smokers, a necessary precursor to developing intervention programs that hold promise for improving outcomes.
-
This review summarizes recent trends and current patterns of tobacco use in the United States. Although adult smoking dropped between 1965 and 1990, from 50% to 28% of men and from 35% to 23% of women, the past decade has seen little further progress. In 2000, 25.7% of US men and 21.0% of women were smokers. ⋯ Bidis and kreteks may be gaining popularity among young people, and more than 15% of adolescent smokers use these tobacco products. Despite recent progress, tobacco use remains prevalent in the United States. State and local governments need to invest adequate resources in the full range of tobacco control activities.
-
A close link between smoking and depression has been documented by research primarily based on U.S. white populations. This study examined the association between depressive symptoms and smoking behaviors in Chinese American smokers. ⋯ The level of depressive symptoms among Chinese American smokers is comparable with that observed in other US populations reported. In the current sample, elevated depressive symptoms were more prominent among women or those who were unemployed, smokers who reported significant nicotine withdrawal at previous quit attempts, and high temptation to smoke when experiencing negative emotions. Findings support further examination of the role of depression in smoking among Chinese Americans and underscore the importance of addressing depressive symptoms when treating tobacco use in Chinese smokers.