The association between gender roles and smoking initiation among women and adolescent girls

Smoking cigarettes is a leading global cause of preventable death and disease. Men historically smoke more than women, but the prevalence of smoking among women in low and middle-income countries is increasing at an alarming rate. Understanding the factors that influence smoking initiation among women and girls is needed to address the growing epidemic of women smokers and the looming impact on women's health worldwide. We assume that smoking initiation is embedded in socio-culturally influenced gendered context and use a social cognitive model with a gendered lens as a framework for organizing and synthesizing the research. Guided by this framework, we identified gaps in the literature and make recommendations for future research in this review paper. The results suggest that psychological and environmental determinants are rooted in fluctuating cultural influences and values, but few research studies provide a gendered analysis or systematically examine these factors in the context of gender and culture. Sex/gender is a significant construct through which women and girls experience the psychological, environmental, and other influences on smoking initiation. Much more research is needed to understand the psychological and environmental influences as well as the intersection of gender roles and other social categories on female smoking initiation.