The 21st century hazards of smoking and benefits of stopping: a prospective study of one million women in the UK

BackgroundWomen born around 1940 in countries such as the UK and USA were the first generation in which many smoked substantial numbers of cigarettes throughout adult life. Hence, only in the 21st century can we observe directly the full effects of prolonged smoking, and of prolonged cessation, on mortality among women in the UK.MethodsFor this prospective study, 1·3 million UK women were recruited in 1996–2001 and resurveyed postally about 3...