Skip left navigation

Home > A-Z Health Topics > Minority Women's Health > African-Americans > Smoking

Health conditions common in
African-American women:

Asthma Breast cancer Cancer Cervical cancer Diabetes Glaucoma and cataracts Heart disease High blood pressure High cholesterol HIV/AIDS Infant death Kidney disease Lupus Mental health problems and suicide Osteoporosis Overweight and obesity Pregnancy-related death Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) Sickle cell anemia Smoking Stroke Tuberculosis (TB) Uterine fibroids Violence

Need help quitting?

Check out our quitting smoking section.

Smoking

• More information on smoking

African-American women have lower smoking rates than white women. However, their lung cancer rates are no lower than white women's. African-American women are also more likely to die from lung cancer than white women. Smoking is the biggest risk factor for lung cancer. And research suggests that African-Americans who smoke are more likely to develop lung cancer than other smokers.

Smoking increases your risk of major health problems, including:

• Cancer
• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Lung disease
• Gum disease
• Eye problems that can lead to blindness

Smoking causes many other problems related to reproductive health:

• Women who smoke have a higher risk of cervical cancer.
• Women who take birth control pills and also smoke have a higher risk of stroke.
• Smoking can make illnesses last longer and make it harder to get pregnant.
• Smoking during pregnancy can cause the baby to be born too early and other problems. Smoking is also a risk factor for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

On top of all the health problems caused by smoking, it also stains your teeth, fingers, and fingernails, gives you bad breath, and causes wrinkles.

Return to top

More information on smoking

Read more from womenshealth.gov

• Smoking and How to Quit — These pages from womenshealth.gov empower women to quit smoking and all forms of tobacco use. Learn why quitting matters to your health, your quality of life, and the health of others. The site also offers strategies that can help you quit for good.
  http://www.womenshealth.gov/smoking-how-to-quit/

Explore other publications and websites

• Guide to Quitting Smoking (Copyright © American Cancer Society) — This publication provides detailed information on why you should quit smoking, how you can quit, how you can deal with withdrawal symptoms, and more.
  http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_10_13X_Guide_for_Quitting_Smoking.asp
• Pathways to Freedom: Winning the Fight Against Tobacco — This guide was developed to address the high rate of smoking among the African-American population. It offers proven strategies for anyone who wants to quit and includes information on how friends and family can help. The guide also gives tips to community leaders for promoting the benefits of quitting.
  http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/quit_smoking/how_to_quit/pathways/index.htm
• Women and Smoking (Copyright © American Cancer Society) — Smoking hurts you and your children. This article tells you how and gives links to resources that can help you quit.
  http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_10_2X_Women_and_Smoking.asp

Connect with other organizations

• American Cancer Society
  http://www.cancer.org/docroot/home/index.asp
• American Heart Association
  http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/
• American Lung Association
  http://www.lungusa.org/
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Information Center, NHLBI, NIH, HHS
  http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/infoctr/index.htm
• Smokefree.gov
  http://www.smokefree.gov/

Content last updated May 18, 2010.

Resources last updated May 18, 2010.

Email Print

Return to top