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Almost 34 Million Employees Lit Up a Cigarette at Work Last Month

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recently posted findings from their study titled "Cigarette Use among Adults Employed Full Time, by Occupational Category. The study showed that 33.6 million full-time workers aged 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.

Groups With Highest Smoking Rate Per Past Month Cigarette Use:
  • Food preparation and serving-related occupations - 44.7 percent

  • Construction work and mining (or extraction work) - 42.9 percent

Groups With Lowest Smoking Rate Per Past Month Cigarette Use:

  • Education, training and library occupations - 12.3 percent

  • Life, physical and social sciences area - 15.4 percent


SAMHSA Acting Administrator, Eric Broderick, D.D.S., M.P.H. stated, “The study provides important insight and updated information that can be used to assist in developing or refining smoking cessation efforts for specific workplace groups,” Broderick concluded, “The workplace is an ideal location for programs to educate employees about the risks of smoking and programs to promote smoking cessation to reduce risks of illnesses such as heart disease and cancer.”

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