Prevalence and multiple-level determinants of smoking among women in the workforce in China

Hao Lin; Changping Liu; Yuying Sun; Yihua Liu; Lanchao Zhang; Chengqian Zhang; Ying Ji; Wangnan Cao; Chun Chang

doi:10.1093/ntr/ntae308

Prevalence and multiple-level determinants of smoking among women in the workforce in China

Nicotine Tob Res. 2024 Dec 21:ntae308. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntae308. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Hao Lin¹, Changping Liu^{2

3}, Yuying Sun⁴, Yihua Liu¹, Lanchao Zhang¹, Chengqian Zhang¹, Ying Ji¹, Wangnan Cao¹, Chun Chang¹

Affiliations

¹ School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China.
² School of Health Humanities, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China.
³ Office of Epidemiology (Technical Guidance Office for Patriotic Health Work), Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China.
⁴ School of Nursing and Health Studies, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Hong Kong SAR, China.

PMID: 39708311
DOI: 10.1093/ntr/ntae308

Abstract

Introduction: To describe the prevalence of smoking among Chinese women in the workforce and to investigate its potential associated factors from a multi-level perspective.

Methods: The study was based on data collected from the "Asia Best Workplace" program in 2021. We obtained a sample of 6,260 women in the workforce and collected the data using a self-administered questionnaire, including occupational characteristics, utilization of workplace health services, and mental health status. We employed univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses to examine the associations between interested variables and the smoking status of women in the workforce.

Results: The prevalence of smoking among Chinese women in the workforce was 3.4%. After controlling for potential confounders, factors that were associated with smoking included field sales personnel (Adjusted Odds Ratio, AOR=3.45, 95% Confidence Interval, CI: 2.29-5.18, reference: white collar), mixed shift workers (AOR=2.42, 95% CI: 1.66-3.53), working overtime every day (AOR=2.27, 95% CI: 1.38-3.74, reference: no overtime work), having depressive (AOR=1.10, 95% CI: 1.07-1.13) or anxiety symptoms (AOR=1.25, 95% CI: 1.13-1.39), and daily exposure to secondhand smoke (AOR=12.54, 95% CI: 8.70-18.05). Women with access to infirmaries (AOR=0.38, 95% CI: 0.18-0.81) and fitness facilities (AOR=0.60, 95% CI: 0.38-0.96) were less likely to smoke.

Conclusions: The prevalence of smoking among Chinese women in the workforce was low. Smoking cessation programs in women in the workforce may benefit from taking into account the nature of their work, whether there were night shifts and overtime working.

Implications: Smoking takes a huge toll on women, and women in the workforce face additional health challenges. Little is known about the specific factors associated with smoking among women in the workforce. Women who were field sales personnel, managers, working night or irregular shifts, and frequent overtime workers should be considered vulnerable sub-populations for smoking. Providing accessible workplace health services and resources is associated with a lower likelihood of smoking. Smoking cessation programs may consider the specific occupational and workplace factors that influence smoking behavior in this population, as well as address mental health needs.

Keywords: Asia Best Workplace; Mental health; Smoking; Stress and Anxiety; Women-s Health; Workplace.

© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.