A study of more than 35,000 French smokers has found that women smoke fewer cigarettes than men but are less likely to quit, reports News Medical Life Sciences.
The study compared characteristics and abstinence rates of men and women visiting smoking cessation services between 2001 and 2018 in France. Data were obtained from the nationwide database CDT-net. The study enrolled smokers aged 18 and older with at least one additional risk factor for cardiovascular disease: overweight/obese (body mass index [BMI] 25 kg/m² or above); high cholesterol; diabetes; high blood pressure; history of stroke, heart attack or angina.
A total of 37,949 smokers were included in the study, of whom 16,492 (43.5 per cent) were women. The average number of cigarettes smoked daily was 23 for women and 27 for men. About 56 per cent of women had a severe nicotine dependence compared to 60 per cent of men. Abstinence was less common among women (52 per cent) than men (55 per cent), the report said.
"The findings suggest that despite smoking fewer cigarettes and being less nicotine dependent than men, women find it more difficult to quit. Possible contributors could be the higher prevalence of anxiety, depression and overweight or obesity among women. It has previously been reported that women may face different barriers to smoking cessation related to fear of weight gain, sex hormones, and mood," said Ingrid Allagbe, Study Author, University of Burgundy, Dijon.