247026 Impacts of Work and Work Characteristics on Smoking Behavior among Adolescents and Younger Adults

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Sharon L. Christ, PhD , Department of Child Development and Family Studies / Statistics, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
Lora E. Fleming, MD, PhD , European Centre for Environment and Human Health (PCMD) and Univesity of Miami OHH Center and NIOSH Research Group, Miami, FL
David Lee, PhD , Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine - NIOSH Research Group, Miami, FL
Noella Dietz, PhD , Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Miami, Leonard Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL
Brittny Major, BS , Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL
Frank C. Bandiera, MPH , Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL
Tainya Clarke, MPH, MS , Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL
Manuel A. Ocasio, BA , Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL
Alberto Caban-Martinez, MPH, CPH , Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL
Kathryn E. McCollister, PhD , Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL
Title: Impacts of Work and Work Characteristics on Smoking Behavior among Adolescents and Younger Adults

OBJECTIVE: Examine the effects of work and work characteristics on smoking behaviors (current casual smoking and current frequent smoking) among adolescents (11-17) and younger adults (18-34) separately.

METHODS: Four time points of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health were analyzed in logistic regression models using over 40,000 pooled person-by-time observations. Models evaluate whether having a job, hours worked, age at first job, and type of first job affect smoking differentially during adolescence and early adulthood after controlling for basic demographics and smoking predictors.

RESULTS: Among adolescents, having a job does not increase the odds of smoking or frequent smoking; alternatively, having a job decreases the odds of smoking and frequent smoking for adults by 55%. However, having a job during adolescence increases the odds of smoking into adulthood (OR=1.20 [1.04, 1.37]). Furthermore, ten additional hours of work per week increases the odds of smoking and frequent smoking for both adolescents (8% and 12%, respectively) and adults (34% and 28%, respectively). First-time jobs in food service increase the odds of smoking by 18% for adolescents and 20% for adults. Starting a first job one year older decreases the odds of current smoking during adolescence (OR=0.95 [0.91, 0.99]) and in early adulthood (OR=0.92 [0.88, 0.95]).

CONCLUSION: Working and the nature of work during adolescence including the amount and type of work and the age at first job have lasting effects on smoking behaviors into early adulthood.

Learning Areas:
Occupational health and safety
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
1. Examine the effects of multiple characteristics of adolescent work life on smoking behavior both during adolescence and into early adulthood. 2. Explore the Add Health dataset for researching smoking and work relationships.

Keywords: Tobacco, Adolescents

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the primary author and analyst for this research paper.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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