A study found that workers in blue and pink collar jobs continue to smoke more than white collar workers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study, mining, food service, and construction workers continue to smoke the most in the U.S. Examining data from 2004-2010, 30 percent of the workers in mining, hotel/motel and food services industries smoke. Trailing behind with the second highest smoking rate, 29.7 percent of the construction workers smoke in the U.S.
Current smokers were defined as individuals who smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetimes and who reported they currently smoked every day or some days.
Education, banking, science, and several other white-collar fields reported the lowest smoking prevalence, below 15 percent. More specifically, education services reported a 9.7 percent smoking rate, corporate management reported a 10.9 percent smoking rate, and finance and insurance reported a 13.9 percent smoking rate.
Thus the study found that low education levels appeared to be a contributing factor to higher smoking rates. Additionally, poverty level and gender appeared to be influencing factor, as well.
Interestingly, the highest smoking rate were among male workers between the ages of 18 years old and 24 years old, with a high school or less education and without health insurance. Midwestern workers had the highest reported smoking rates in the nation. Workers with a bachelor’s degree or more had a smoking prevalence rate of 9.1 percent, compared to workers with “some” college the rate was 21 percent. Lastly, 28.4 percent smoking rate was found in workers who did not graduate from high school.
According to the CDC, the adult smoking rate has decreased 42.4 percent since 1965, but sadly over the past five year, the decline has not declined as steeply. From 2005 to 2010, smoking rates declined from 20.9 percent to 19.3 percent.
Smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke continues to be the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the U.S. It is responsible for killing about 443,000 Americans annually. Direct health care expenses and lost productivity caused by smoking totals about $193 billion annually.
