Deaths from Smoking Higher in Women

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have published new data on the numbers of deaths attributable to smoking, state by state. Overall, between 2000 and 2004 the numbers of such deaths have decreased, compared with earlier numbers. However, there are a couple of disturbing statistics.

In women, the numbers of deaths that could be attributed to smoking were increased in 19 states (Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington DC).

The states in which women’s rate of smoking deaths have actually increased are those with the lowest rates of spending on education per capita. We can only hope that more and better Internet use will bring awareness of the risks involved in smoking to a wider audience, and that smoke-related deaths will have decreased across the board at the next count.