Employment, smoking, and health: the role of the hygienist.
The association between smoking and poverty is well established but the relationship between smoking and employment is less clear. Those in work are less likely to smoke, with recent data from Scotland suggesting the unemployed are nearly 2.5 times more likely to smoke than those in employment. This commentary looks at emerging evidence that work may have a positive role in reducing smoking prevalence. Occupational hygienists are uniquely placed to provide health-based information and risk communication that may help workers and those seeking employment to become smoke-free. The public health benefits of such intervention are likely to be substantial and are entirely in keeping with the health protection aims of the discipline of Occupational Hygiene.
Respiratory Group, Division of Applied Health Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZG, Scotland sean.semple@abdn.ac.uk.
Sean
S
Semple
D004651:Employment / Q000523:psychology*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D016272:Occupational Health; D059825:Physical Therapists; D012606:Scotland; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D014478:Unemployment
occupational hygiene; tobacco; work