Smoking among female prisoners: an ignored public health epidemic.
The Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) surveyed 866 female prisoners about tobacco use and interest in a smoking cessation program. The 27-item questionnaire assessed basic demographic information; type of tobacco used, amounts and frequency of use, triggers for use, health status, family tobacco use and health status, money spent on tobacco products, cessation attempts, motivation and self-efficacy for smoking cessation, and interest in participating in a smoking cessation program. The majority of female inmates (73.9%) were current tobacco users and 71.5% smoked cigarettes, with a mean of 14.6 cigarettes per day (cpd). Approximately 12.5% of current smokers reported a tobacco-related medical problem. Most (60.6%) had made at least one attempt to quit smoking and only 24.5% felt "very confident" that they could quit if they made an attempt. Overall, 64.2% of the smokers reported interest in participating in the smoking cessation program, with heavier smokers (71.4%) reporting the most interest in enrolling in the program. The high percentage of current tobacco users, high level of interest in smoking cessation, and presence of smoking-related health problems indicate a tremendous public and correctional health problem that is being ignored.
Cropsey
Karen
K
Department of Psychiatry, Campus of the Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, P.O. Box 980109, Richmond, VA 23298, USA. klcropsey@hsc.vcu.edu
Eldridge
Gloria D
GD
Ladner
Tina
T
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008922:Mississippi / Q000453:epidemiology; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D011329:Prisoners / Q000523:psychology*; D011634:Public Health; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires