Many young women tend to smoke 'very lightly' and use this as an excuse to reassure themselves that they're not heavy smokers, according to a new study.

A research team led by Carole Holahan, of the University of Texas at Austin, analyzed the information from nearly 9,800 women, ages 18 to 25 years old, who took part in a federal government survey in 2011.

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The results of their findings suggest that nearly 20 percent of all the women who participated in the said study and about 60 percent of current smokers were described by the researchers as very light smokers. Also, nearly half of the current smokers were said to be not smoking everyday. Young women were more likely to be very light and intermittent smokers compared to the heavy or daily smokers, according to Myfoxtampabay.com.

The study also found that if you compare the very light smokers to other smokers, they were much more likely to be intermittent smokers. This is because they came from a minority group, and they have acquired some college education and that makes them more aware on the risks that smoking has. This kind of smokers is less likely to be married.

According to Live Science, researchers wrote in the July issue of the journal Preventing Chronic Disease that, "Health educators and health care providers working with women in emerging adulthood need to recognize the high prevalence of very light smoking in this population, and screen for any level of tobacco use."

Dr. Len Horovitz, a lung specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said that smoking at this "very lightly" level still carries health risks. He added that even if it's just like light smoking, this can triple the lifetime risk of having heart disease. For him, more efforts should be given to this group of young women who smoke lightly, as per Daily Mail.

Live Science has learned that some people may become light smokers because they can't afford to buy a lot of cigarettes. The researchers noted that women in colleges, for example, may smoke at a light level because they tend to attend parties on the weekend that promotes smoking. And people may start smoking lightly because of the emotional stress they are going through.

Tagssmoking in women, smoking, Study, Heart disease