Call centre employees and tobacco dependence: making a difference

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Public Health
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• India's Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector presents unique occupational health challenges.
• Millions of young employees in the BPO industry require targeted health interventions.
• Safeguarding the health of BPO employees is crucial for this growing economy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess tobacco use prevalence and initiation factors among BPO employees in India.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of various tobacco cessation intervention strategies.
• To identify optimal methods for assisting BPO employees in quitting tobacco.

Main Methods:

• A 4-arm cluster randomized trial involving 646 BPO employees over 18 months.
• Participants were interviewed, and tobacco users received specific cessation interventions.
• Interventions included health education, behavioral therapy, and pharmacotherapy.

Main Results:

• Prevalence of tobacco dependence was 41%, primarily cigarette smoking.
• Similar quit rates (approx. 20%) were observed in three intervention arms.
• A 45% reduction in tobacco consumption was achieved with pharmacotherapy in Arm 4.
• Frequent job changes among BPO employees pose a significant follow-up challenge.

Conclusions:

• Effective tobacco cessation can be achieved through health education and behavioral therapy, even in resource-limited settings.
• Pharmacotherapy accessibility challenges in developing countries should not halt cessation efforts.
• Integrating tobacco cessation programs into BPO operations is essential for continuous employee support and protection from tobacco-related harm.