Association of teleworking and smoking behavior of U.S. wage and salary workers

Abstract

Introduction The COVID‐19 pandemic has led to a major shift in workspace from office to home. This report examined how telecommuting is related to smoking behavior of wage and salary workers. Methods Self‐reported smoking behavior of 1,390 U.S. wage and salary workers aged 16–64 years from the Tobacco Use Supplement of the Current Population Survey 2018/19 were linked to the 2018 American Time Use Survey. Weighted multivariate logistic regression predicting smoking probability and generalized linear regression predicting smoking intensity were used for analysis. Results Almost a fifth (19%) of wage and salary workers reported working from home and over a half (52%) reported working in telecommuting amenable occupations. Nearly 12% were current smokers, smoking 14.7 cigarettes daily on average. Compared to their counterparts, smoking prevalence (percentage points) was lower among those employed in telecommuting amenable occupations (−0.52, p < .001 for all; 0.01, p = .862 for men; −2.40, p < .001 for women) and who worked more frequently from home (−0.21, p < .001 for all; −0.76, p < .001 for men; −0.03, p = .045 for women). Smoking intensity (cigarettes per day) was lower among those employed in telecommuting amenable occupations (−3.39, p = .03 for all; −0.36, p = .90 for men; −4.30, p = .21 for women). We found no statistically significant association between smoking intensity and telecommuting frequency. Conclusions The lower likelihood of smoking and lower level of smoking intensity among telecommuting wage and salary workers suggests the need for proactive efforts to address the potential exacerbation in occupation‐related smoking disparities between occupations that are and are not amenable to telecommuting.

Differences in demographics and behaviors across two web-based survey platforms: Observations from a study of risk perceptions of heated tobacco products (HTPs)

“…There are concerns amongst public health professionals about the misinterpretation of the claims as reduced harm ( East et al, 2021 , Popova et al, 2018 , Zou et al, 2021 ) and a potential increase in youth uptake ( Jeong et al, 2019 ). This authorization occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, when health risks from infection with COVID-19 in smokers were highlighted ( Giovenco et al, 2021 , Nargis et al, 2021 ). Some studies have reported a reduction in smoking as a result of greater risk perception due to COVID-19 ( Rigotti et al, 2021 , White, 2021 , Gravely, 2021 ).…”