Young women smokers face double jeopardy

THE recently-published SLÁN survey on health and lifestyle has reported that the smoking rate is highest among young women in the lowest social classes: 56% of women in this category smoke as against 28% in the same age group in the higher social classes.

This extraordinary statistic has significant implications for the health of these women and for any children they may have. It also has serious implications for our health services because smoking is linked with so many illnesses.

Given the prominence that cancer-related stories have had in the media recently, one would have imagined this statistic would have received more attention from people concerned with health matters and the condition of the health services.