A recent study conducted by the Southeast Asia Tabacco Control Alliance reveals
that 18.7% of Filipino young women between the ages of 13 and 25 smoke
cigarettes. The numbers is expected to increase if the sample is restricted to
teenagers between 13 and 15 for which 3
out of 10 have known to already have the smoking habit.
Interview revealed
that among female smokers, 60% say that they smoked their first cigarette at
the age of 18, while the remaining 40% say they started when they were still very young out of
curiousity.
What is more alarming is the revelation that these smokers are not keen on quitting
despite the fact that they are aware of the risks connected to smoking. The
survey further revealed that nine girls out of ten know that smoking can cause
lung cancer, infertility, early menopause, osteoporosis, and hysterectomy.
INITIATIVES to put warning labels on
packaging remain futile to curb, if not totally stop this vice.
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