Partner smoking characteristics: Associations with smoking and quitting among blue-collar apprentices

• Published in: American journal of industrial medicine Vol. 53; no. 11; pp. 1102 - 1108
• Main Authors: Okechukwu, Cassandra A., Nguyen, Kim, Hickman, Norval J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01-11-2010; Wiley-Liss
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Biological and medical sciences; blue collar workers; Data Collection; Demography; Female; Health Behavior; Humans; Interpersonal Relations; light and intermittent smoking; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Medical sciences; Multivariate Analysis; Occupational Health; Occupations; partner smoking; Prevalence; Regression Analysis; Smoking - psychology; smoking cessation; Smoking Cessation - psychology; social contextual model; Social Environment; Socioeconomic Factors; spousal smoking; Spouses - psychology; Tobacco, tobacco smoking; Toxicology; Young Adult; United States; North America; America; Human; Poison withdrawal; Health promotion; blue collar workers; Tobacco smoking; Operation; partner smoking; spousal smoking; Apprentice; Occupational environment; Tobacco; Shutdown; Spouse; smoking cessation; light and intermittent smoking; Disintoxication; Family environment; Worker; Social aspect; Occupational medicine; Public health; social contextual model
• ISSN: 0271-3586; 1097-0274; 1097-0274
• DOI: 10.1002/ajim.20890

Background
Studies suggest that the social context of blue‐collar workers contribute to their low smoking cessation rates. However, little is known on the effect of partner smoking and requests to quit on workers' cessation attempts.
Methods
Using data from a longitudinal smoking cessation intervention, multivariable logistic regression models were constructed to investigate the association of partner smoking characteristics with cessation among blue‐collar apprentices.
Results
Smokers were more likely to have partners who smoke (OR 13.06; 95% CI 8.52–20.01). Partner's request to quit was associated with higher odds of smoking cessation at 1 month (OR 3.74; 95% CI 2.49–5.63) and 6 months (OR 1.90; 95% CI 1.06–3.41) post‐intervention. Having a partner who smoked was associated with lower odds of smoking cessation at 1 month (OR 0.41; 95% CI 0.27–0.62), but not 6 months post‐intervention.
Conclusions
Results suggest that smoking cessation interventions that include partner support might improve cessation among blue‐collar smokers. Am. J. Ind. Med. 53:1102–1108, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.