Nationwide Survey: 33.6 Million Full-Time Employees Reported Using Cigarettes in the Past Month

Cigarette Use Is Highest Among Adults in Food Preparation and Serving-Related Work

A new report reveals that 33.6 million full-time workers age 18 to 64 (or 28 percent of persons in this category) reported that they smoked cigarettes in the past month based on combined 2006 to 2008 survey data.

The SAMHSA study, Cigarette Use Among Adults Employed Full Time, by Occupational Category, shows that among 22 major occupational categories, the highest rate of past-month cigarette use among full-time workers in this age group was found in the food preparation and serving-related occupations (44.7 percent), followed by construction work and mining (or extraction work) at 42.9 percent. By contrast, the lowest rates were seen among those employed in the education, training, and library occupations (12.3 percent), as well as the life, physical, and social sciences area (15.4 percent).

In the United States, smoking is the leading preventable cause of death and contributes to chronic illnesses of millions of individuals.

Read More