The Prevalence of Tobacco Consumption Among Women in Târgu Mureş and Associations with Socio-Demographic and Cultural Factors

The habit of smoking is one of the most dangerous long-term behaviors affecting the health of a population, especially for young women, who will become the mothers to give birth to the future generations. In order to identify the prevalence of smoking among young women in Târgu Mureş, as well as other lifestyle-related risk factors, in this cross-sectional study we used a questionnaire to assess lifestyle among 964 women aged 15 to 49 years. The results showed that almost half of the interviewed women declared being smokers. The highest prevalence was found to be associated with the 21 to 30 year age group, no high-school education, non-Romanian ethnics, showing no interest for a healthy lifestyle, low resistance to stress and lack of proper rest and relaxation. This increased prevalence of smoking among women of childbearing age was identified alongside a low willingness for smoking cessation.