Your Health- Tobacco Use

Education and outreach geared to the lesbian population needs to be formulated and implemented. Interventions need to target high-risk groups such as poor lesbians¹and those who experience high levels of stress.²

Talking Points:

Data varies but there is ample evidence that lesbians smoke at a significantly higher rate than heterosexual women. For example the Women’s Health Initiative indicates that twice as many lesbians were reported to be heavy smokers compared to heterosexual women (6.8% of heterosexual women and 7.4% of mature lesbians versus 3.5% of heterosexual women).³
Smoking increases lesbians’ risk for cancer and cardiovascular disease.⁴
This increased rate has been attributed to the higher levels of psychosocial stress that lesbians experience but the issue warrants further study.²

1 Krieger, N., Rowley, D., Herman, A., Avery B., & Phillips, M. (1993). Racism, sexism, and social class: Implications for studies of health, disease and well-being. American Journal of Preventative Medicine, 9(6,suppl), 82-122.

2 Borrelli, B.; Bock, T.; et al. (1996). The impact of depression on smoking cessation in women. American Journal of Preventative Medicine, 12(5), 378-387.

3 Solarz, A. (ed). (1999). Lesbian health: current assessment and directions for the future. Committee on lesbian health research priorities, the Institute of Medicine. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, p56-57.

4 Chen, V.W. (1993). Smoking and the health gap in minorities. Annals of Epidemiology, 3(2), 159-164.

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