Tobacco use and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke in relation to certain work characteristics

This study aims to describe the prevalence of smoking, snuff use, and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) in relation to occupation among common female and male workers in Sweden. The associations between shift work, job strain, and tobacco use and exposure to ETS are assessed. The results are based on questionnaire data of 2,584 men and 2,836 women randomly selected from 63 occupations in two counties in Sweden. The prevalence of smoking ranges from 10% (95% CI 4.5-16%, police officers) to 42% (95% CI 29-55%, packing workers) in men, and between 8% (95% CI 2-14%, dentists) and 51% (95% CI 37-65%, packing workers) in women. Snuff use is more common among men (range 11-44% in different occupations) than among women (range 0-7%). The prevalence of exposure to passive smoking in this study ranges from 0.9% to 26% in men and from 0% to 30% in women. Shiftwork is significantly associated with current smoking, and job strain is significantly related to exposure to ETS. Ages between 18 and 29 years experienced an increased risk of exposure to ETS compared to older age groups. In conclusion, this study shows that tobacco use and exposure to ETS is still a major problem in the Swedish workplace.