Dear Healthy Men: There have been a lot of vaping-related injuries and deaths lately, but I haven’t heard anything about the male-female difference. You’ve written about how men are more likely than women to abuse drugs and alcohol. I’m wondering whether the same gender imbalance applies to smoking cigarettes and vaping.
A: In a word, Yes. And the fact that you haven’t seen much coverage of the gender difference is a big clue: the media loves male-vs-female comparisons, and when you don’t see one, it’s almost always because male victims outnumber females.
With regard to cigarette smoking, among American adults 18 and older, more males than females are current smokers (roughly 17.5% vs. 13.5%), according to the CDC, the American Lung Association and other sources. Among high schoolers, the difference is smaller, but males still dominate, 9% vs. 7%.
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