Social support, network heterogeneity, and smoking behavior in women: the 10-town study.
OBJECTIVE
Examine the associations among social support, network heterogeneity, and smoking behavior in a large sample of Finnish female municipal employees.


METHODS
Cross-sectional observational study.


METHODS
Workplaces in 10 towns in Finland.


METHODS
Smoking behavior and social support from one's partner, relatives, friends, supervisor, and coworkers was assessed by a questionnaire survey in 2000 to 2001.


METHODS
Logistic regression analysis.


METHODS
Total of 23,069 female employees (mean age = 45 years). Separate models for heavy smoking (> or = 20 cigarettes per day) were calculated for 4119 current smokers. The association between social support and ex-smoking was examined in 7352 ever-smokers.


RESULTS
After adjustment for various confounders, women who reported low heterogeneity of their support network or no support from their partners or relatives were approximately 1.2 times more likely to be smokers compared with their counterparts with high heterogeneity or high support. Low network heterogeneity was also significantly associated with an elevated prevalence of heavy smoking in current smokers (odds ratio [OR] = 1.52; 95% confidence intervals [CI] = 1.06, 2.19) and a lower likelihood of ex-smoking in ever-smokers (OR = 0.74; 95% CI = 0.63, 0.87). The associations were more pronounced among nonmanual vs. manual employees.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest an association among network heterogeneity, sources of social support, and smoking in female employees. The preventive impact of these social resources on smoking behavior is stronger among nonmanual female employees.
Väänänen
Ari
A
Centre of Expertise for Work Organisations, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Topeliuksenkatu, Helsinki, Finland. ari.vaananen@ttl.fi
Kouvonen
Anne
A
Kivimäki
Mika
M
Pentti
Jaana
J
Vahtera
Jussi
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires