HONG KONG: It's tougher to quit smoking if you're a woman. Women have different reasons for smoking than men. A targeted counseling service is proving effective at helping female smokers kick the habit, a local university said yesterday.

According to the Census and Statistics Department, there were about 105,900 female smokers in Hong Kong last year. Most were aged between 30 and 39.

About 61 percent were aware of available smoking cessation services. Almost none ever considered trying one.

Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong explained this, saying it is because of the different motivations for smoking between men and women.

"Women take up the habit mostly because they are emotionally stressed, but men smoke for socialization," said Sophia Chan Siu-chee, professor of the Department of Nursing Studies.

She added smoking can cause lots of gender specific damage that can hit a woman's health very hard.

There can be reproductive damage for one. Pregnancy can be affected, so a tailor-made counseling service became necessary to help female smokers.

The university started the city's first female-targeted smoking cessation counseling service in November 2006. It has helped 66 smokers quit the habit.

The 274 participants in the program averaged 35 years of age. On average they smoked 14 cigarettes a day.

Almost 74 percent had made previous attempts to quit smoking but failed.

Over half found resisting withdrawal symptoms the most difficult challenge to face.

Chair professor of the Department of Community Medicine Lam Tai-hing explained the emotional problems of female smokers make symptoms such as insomnia and malaise more pervasive.

About 24 percent of subjects reported they stopped smoking in seven days, a standard for successful cessation.

Among those who continued to smoke, daily cigarette consumption declined to nine.

The number of inquiries to the center from women wanting to quit, doubled after the government announced a 50-percent increase in the tobacco duty in last week's budget.

(HK Edition 03/03/2009 page1)