More young Pinays take to smoking – tobacco study

Young women in the Philippines who have taken up smoking is increasing at an alarming rate, a recent study of the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance showed.
The study, which was conducted in 2009 and released on Wednesday, revealed that affordable cigarettes contribute to the increasing number of female smokers in the country.

It said that a significant increase in smoking was noted among girls 13 to 15 years old.

HealthJustice Philippines said that the rise in the number of of female smokers can be attributed to the tobacco industry’s emerging strategies that target women to replace smokers who have died or quit the habit.

The strategy involves portraying cigarette smoking as glamorous, liberating and slimming.

“People should realize that women compared to men are more adversely affected by cigarette smoking. Given the same environmental preconditions, women are more likely to develop lung cancer and die because of smoking due to several genetic and hormonal factors,” said Ana Maria Nemenzo, the national coordinator of WomanHealth Philippines.

Moreover, the study showed that lung cancer has been found to be the leading cancer killer among women.

It said that cardiovascular diseases rank as the top cause of female deaths in the country and at least one out of every five deaths from it can be attributed to cigarette smoking.

The study also showed that besides lung cancer and cardiovascular diseases, there are several sex-specific illnesses that hit women, specifically on reproductive health and bone density.

“Further, these health impacts would translate to more social and economic losses for the country given the various economic, reproductive and community roles of women in society. Avoidable premature deaths, like those caused by cigarette smoking, hinder the country’s economic development,” Nemenzo said.

Also, a survey conducted by the University of the Philippines Communication Research Society showed that 20.5 percent of the 435 public high-school students who participated in the study are females. Among these female high school smokers, 57.3 percent consume cigarettes daily and 94.3 percent can afford high-priced brands.

The survey also said that the affordability and availability of cigarettes to the youth, particularly to girls, are contributing largely to the prevalence of cigarette smoking among women.

It added that if cigarettes were priced at P5 per stick, 60 percent of the sample population would quit smoking. –Manila Times