Women Smokers' Perceptions of Smoking-Related Health Risks

Objective: Unrealistic perceptions of personal susceptibility to the health hazards of smoking may be an important determinant of cigarette smoking and a barrier to smoking cessation. This study was undertaken to assess perceptions of smoking-related health risks among women smokers. Methods: A secondary analysis was conducted using cross-sectional data collected from 1184 (response rate 61%) perimenopausal women patients from one university-affiliated health system. Results: The majority of respondents were white and college-educated and had an annual household income of over $60,000. Twelve percent of respondents were current smokers, 37% were former smokers, and 51% were never smokers. Sixty percent of current smokers rated their lifetime risk for developing heart disease or lung cancer as average or below average, and 75% of current smokers rated their lifetime risk for developing osteoporosis as average or below average. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that any smoking history (pa...