Women and Smokeless Tobacco Use

Although more than 90 percent of smokeless tobacco (ST) users are considered as males, percentage of female using ST is also believed to be quite substantial. According to a survey conducted by National Household Survey on Drug Abuse in 1998, only 0.5 percent of females over 12 years of age were reported among the users of ST.

The reason behind the small percentage of female users of ST is assumed to be limited research done on the patterns of use of ST in women. “Women rarely respond to our advertisements to participate in smokeless tobacco treatment studies,” says Dorothy Hatsukami of the University Of Minnesota School Of Medicine.

Dr. Hatsukami speculates, “Women may be embarrassed about admitting smokeless tobacco use because the general perception is that smokeless tobacco use is socially undesirable, and women don’t use it.”

It is found that women generally find too embarrassing to admit about the use of ST. They find the act of spitting out tobacco juice time to time very embarrassing. They are also feel extremely unpleasant when loose tobacco gets trapped between the teeth.

The study also reveals similarities among the use of ST in both men and women. For instance, both sexes start using ST between 16-18 years of age. Generally they are introduced to ST through instigation by friends. Also, it is found that nearly 25 percent of users in both the sexes use ST to help them quit smoking.

Differences are also noted in the use of ST by men and women. It is found that women regularly use an average of 3.6 dips of moist snuff as compared to 6.3 dips in men. Also, the average time spent by women to held tobacco in their mouths is 22.5 minutes as compared to 39.9 minutes in case of men.

Leave a Reply