|
It is a fact that has been documented since 1980, when the first >U-S Surgeon General´s Report on Women and Smoking >was released; cigarette smoking plays a major role in shortening a woman´s life. Since then, about three million women have died prematurely of smoking-related diseases, including lung and other cancers, heart disease, stroke, and chronic lung diseases such as Emphysema.
The number one cancer killer of women is lung cancer. 90% of all lung cancer deaths among U.S. women smokers are attributable to smoking.
The link between smoking and other cancers among women is strong, especially cancer of the mouth, bladder, pancreas and kidney. Smoking is consistently associated with an increased risk for cervical cancer.
Heart disease is still the leading cause of death among both men and women in this country and smoking is a major risk factor for cardiovascular heart disease among women. Risk increases with the number of cigarettes smoked and the duration of smoking.
As for health issues that are unique to women, research shows female smokers have natural menopause at a younger age than do nonsmokers, and they may experience more severe menopausal symptoms.
As women age, another health risk emerges among women smokers: decreased bone density and fracture risk . There is medical evidence that postmenopausal women smokers have thinner bones than women who never smoked.
If those sobering statistics don't alarm you, consider the cost of smoking. It isn't hard to figure out how much you spend on smoking: multiply how much money you spend on tobacco every day by 365 (days per year). Now multiply that by the number of years you have been using tobacco and that amount will probably around you. Multiply the cost per year by 10 (for the upcoming 10 years) and ask yourself what you would rather do with that much money.
And this doesn't include the higher costs for health and life insurance coverage, as well as the possible health care costs due to tobacco-related conditions. On average, cigarette smokers pay about double the rates for term life insurance coverage than non-smokers.
Here is a clear example:
|
Life Insurance Example: |
 |
| a 40-year old healthy woman who does not smoke can expect to pay an average of $180 a year for a 20-Year $250,000 Term Life Insurance Policy |
| Contrast that with a 40-year old woman who smokes and the Life Insurance Premium for the same Term Life Insurance Coverage jumps to $620 annually. |
The Surgeon General is not the only one who frowns upon cigarette smoking as a health risk, so do insurance companies who consider smoking as a critical factor in determining your health and life insurance rates.
Medical research is rife with evidence that smoking is life-threatening to women. There is also ample evidence that the habit carries severe financial risks.
Benefits of Quitting Smoking
Quick Facts
>Source: The American Cancer Society >
20 minutes after quitting : Your blood pressure drops to a level close to that before the last cigarette.
The temperature of your hands and feet increases to normal. >
(US Surgeon General´s Report,1988, pp. 39, 202) >
8 hours after quitting : The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal. >
(US Surgeon General´s Report,1988, p. 202) >
24 hours after quitting : Your chance of a heart attack decreases. >
(US Surgeon General´s Report,1988, p. 202) >
2 weeks to 3 months after quitting : Your circulation improves and your lung function increases up to 30%. >
(US Surgeon General´s Report, 1990, pp.193,194,196,285,323) >
1 to 9 months after quitting : Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath decrease; cilia (tiny hair like structures that move mucus out of the lungs) regain normal function in the lungs, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce infection. >
(US Surgeon General´s Report, 1990, pp. 304, 307, 319, 322) >
1 year after quitting: The excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker´s. >
(US Surgeon General´s Report, 1990, p. vi) >
5 years after quitting: Your stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker 5-15 years after quitting. >
(US Surgeon General´s Report, 1990, p.79) >
10 years after quitting: The lung cancer death rate is about half that of a continuing smoker´s. The risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas decreases. >
(US Surgeon General´s Report, 1990, p.110, 147, 152, 155, 159,172) >
15 years after quitting: The risk of coronary heart disease is that of a nonsmoker´s. >
(US Surgeon General´s Report, 1990, p.79) >
>"Quitting smoking is easy. I've done it a thousand times." > Mark Twain
|
