Australian women continue to smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol during pregnancy, a new study reveals. Research by the Australian Institute of Family Studies has found 18 per cent of women smoked and 38 per cent of women drank alcohol while pregnant, with younger mothers more likely to smoke and older mothers more likely to drink while pregnant. The study, based on data from Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, ... Jump to full article >>

As I sit down to write this article, I’m about to pour myself a drink. After all, it’s 7pm, I’ve had a long day and a chilled glass of white wine would perk me up. Had I not become suddenly and acutely aware of the irony of knocking back a unit or two while writing about middle-class alcoholism, I’d probably have opened the bottle. I resisted, but there is no doubt that I, a middle-class, middle-aged, professional, workin ... Jump to full article >>

Dubai Municipality on Wednesday launched a campaign at Mall of the Emirates called “Tobacco-free Women,” which will last until May 31, 2010. The campaign is part of the World No-Tobacco Day that falls on 31st May every year. This year, the World No-Tobacco Day targets to combat smoking in women and girls, as women comprise about 20% of the world’s smokers, whose number amounts to more than a billion. Women are also subjected to ... Jump to full article >>

Tobacco and alcohol harm men, women and children physically, mentally, socially and economically. In Sri Lanka the bulk of the social harm traceable to tobacco and alcohol is inflicted on and borne by women. On International Women’s Day, it is salutary to focus attention on the load of silent suffering women have to endure because of addictive substance abuse by men. Much can be done and should be done to reduce this avoidable suffering. C ... Jump to full article >>

WALES has the highest rates of women who smoke during their pregnancy in the UK, shocking figures reveal today. Despite the social taboo, the figures from anti-smoking charity ASH Wales show one-in-five women continue to smoke throughout pregnancy. Midwives said many young women are smoking while pregnant because they believe they will have smaller “doll-like” babies. Helen Rogers, the Royal College of Midwives’ board secretary for Wales, ... Jump to full article >>

Some women avoid drinking calorie-filled cocktails, wine, and beer because they’re worried about packing on the pounds. Now, a new study suggests that women who are moderate drinkers actually tend to gain less weight over time than teetotalers. The risk of becoming overweight or obese falls as alcohol consumption rises, even when factors such as smoking, fruit and vegetable consumption, and physical activity are taken into account, the study f ... Jump to full article >>

Cuba seeks to pitch famous cigars beyond male base With anti-smoking laws and the global recession causing sales to fall, Cuba wants to develop a largely untapped market for its famous cigars — women. Habanos S.A. executives said on Monday sales fell 8 percent to $360 million in 2009, so they have created the Julieta, a smaller, milder version of the Romeo y Julieta cigar, aimed specifically at female smokers. Women now make up only 5 to 1 ... Jump to full article >>

WOMEN in Scotland are failing to improve their health at the same rate as men and may not continue to outlive them for much longer, according to Scotland’s leading doctor. Men are giving up smoking in their thousands and exercising more, meaning they will live for seven more years, on average, compared with 1980. But while women still have a greater life expectancy than men, the gap is narrowing, as many continue to smoke and lead less hea ... Jump to full article >>

Ottawa’s Bob Reid is trying to understand what’s at the root of the health crisis OTTAWA-When Ottawa’s Bob Reid convened a meeting several years ago to discuss Nunavut’s smoking epidemic, the territory’s health officials, Inuit elders and leaders all shared an overriding concern. Nunavut’s expectant mothers smoked too much, they told him, and required urgent help. “One of the things that was appalling to community members was the d ... Jump to full article >>

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Rosa Lara remembers a doctor advising her not to quit smoking during her pregnancy because her baby was used to it. Lara had been living in California at the time. Most of her sisters had smoked and did not seem to have issues with it, and no one had told her about the health risks associated with smoking while pregnant. “My doctor never really explained to me what can be the consequences for my daughter,” L ... Jump to full article >>