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MAJOR REVIEW ARTICLES

 

1. A review of the health impact of smoking control at the workplace; Eriksen MP, Gottlieb NH; American Journal of Health Promotion; 13 (2); pp. 83-104;

November/December 1998

Format: Review Article

Abstract (abbreviated):

Summary of Important Findings: Smoking cessation group programs were found to be more effective than minimal treatment programs, although less intensive treatment, when combines with high participation rates, can influence the total population. Tobacco policies were found to reduce cigarette consumption at workand worksite environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure.

Conclusions: The literature is rated suggestive for group and incentive interventions; indicative for minimal interventions, competitions, and medical interventions; and acceptable for the testing of incremental effects. Because of the lack of experimental control, the smoking policy literature is rated weak; although there is strong consistency in results for reduced cigarette consumption and decreased exposure to ETS at work.

2. Environmental Tobacco Smoke in Public Places and Workplaces: Current Knowledge and Implications for Policy; McBride C, McWiliam D, Mecredy D, Mowat DL; Toronto: Ontario Tobacco Research Unit; (Literature Reviews Series No. 7);1996

Format: Review Article

Abstract:

This literature review explores the facts and issues related to the development of municipal bylaws regulating smoking in workplaces and public places. A number of factors are examined including the health effects of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), public opinion about ETS and tobacco control measures, current legislation on passive smoking, municipal tobacco control, ventilation and cleaning systems, impact on business and tourism, enforcement, and smokers’ rights. Research suggests that there is strong public support for smoke-free bylaws and that they do not adversely affect business or tourism. Given current knowledge about the health hazards of ETS, it is clear that prohibitions on smoking in all public places and workplaces provide the optimal protection of worker and public health.

3. Changes in employee smoking behavior after implementation of restrictive smoking policies; Olive KE, Ballard JA; Southern Medical Journal 89 (7), pp. 699-706; July 1996.

Format: Review Article

Abstract:

How do restricted smoking policies affect the smoking behavior of employees? At two federal hospitals, 2,700 employees completed written surveys after implementation of restrictive smoking policies. At one hospital, smokers reported less smoking at work (down 2.0 cigarettes a day at 6 months, 1.7 at 12) without compensatory smoking. At the other, no significant changes in smoking behavior were reported. However, at both hospitals, some baseline smokers quit smoking. At 6 months, 9% had quit at one hospital and 8% at the other. Analyses were done using these two studies and 17 published studies. In 11 of 11 studies, consumption at work decreased, and in 12 of 14, total daily consumption decreased. Regression analysis indicated that the number of smokers who quit smoking after policy implementation increases over time at rates exceeding those normally expected in the population. Smoking policies appear to effect a reduction in total cigarette consumption and an increase in the number of smokers who quit.

Conclusions (abbreviated):

[O]n comparison with our estimates of baseline smoking cessation rates, we do believe that the weight of the literature supports the hypothesis that restrictive smoking policies contribute to increased smoking cessation…. Restrictive smoking policies have increasing impact on the lives of Americans. Our research suggests that such policies may have impact beyond the workplace and are conducive to a healthy workforce. Moreover, we believe such policies are important in our hospitals to convey to patients the negative health consequences of smoking.Patients expect health care professionals to model healthy behavior. Patients are mostly supportive of hospital restrictive smoking policies, and the majority of smoking patients are willing to comply with such policies. We believe current US standards requiring such policies are appropriate, make an important statement, and contribute to a healthier society.

4. Do workplace smoking bans reduce smoking?; Evans WN, Farrelly MC, Montgomery E; Working Paper 5567; National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.; May 1996

Format: Monograph/Working Paper

Abstract:

In recent years there has been a heightened public concern over the potentially harmful effects of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). In response, smoking has been banned on many jobs. Using data from the 1991 and 1993 National Health Interview Survey and smoking supplements to the September 1992 and May 1993 Current Population Survey, we investigate whether these workplace policies reduce smoking prevalence and smoking intensity among workers. Our estimates suggest that workplace bans reduce smoking prevalence by 5 percentage points and average daily consumption among smokers by 10 percent. The impact of the ban is greatest for those with longer work weeks. Although workers with better health habits are more likely to work at establishments with workplace smoking bans, estimates from bivariate probit and two-stage least square equations suggest that these estimates are not subject to an omitted variables bias. The rapid increase in workplace bans can explain all of the recent sharp fall in smoking among workers relative to non-workers.

5. Worksite and community intervention for tobacco control; Gruman J, Lynn W; in Nicotine addiction: Principles and management. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993; pp. 396-411.

Format: Book Chapter

Conclusion:

The lengthy and complex group of factors that have been identified as determinants of smoking initiation, smoking, and quitting set forth a formidable challenge for those engaged in planning interventions to bring one of the twentieth century’s most serious health problems under control. It is neither practical nor realistic to believe that any single approach or method will have a significant impact on population- wide smoking prevalence. The precedent for effective action has been set through numerous system-wide public health interventions in such areas as tuberculosis control, maternal and child health, HIV disease, and occupational health. It is time for tobacco use to draw upon this tradition and to be accorded top priority as a public health challenge.

6. Smoking control at the workplace; Fielding JE; Ann. Rev. Pub. Health Vol. 12, pp. 209-234; 1991

Format: Review Article

Conclusion:

During the 1980s, a profound change occurred in the response of employers to smoking among employees. Increasing epidemiological data on the adverse effects of ETS have been coupled with repeated demonstrations that smokers cost employers more, both directly and indirectly, than nonsmokers. Weight of scientific evidence, combined with increasingly prevalent legal restrictions on smoking in private and public workplaces, has led employers to take more aggressive approaches to discourage smoking and encourage employees who quit to remain abstinent.Traditional smoking cessation classes, self-help materials, and one-on-one counseling, which together reached a small percentage of smokers, have been complemented by increasingly restrictive smoking policies that discourage worksite smoking and sometimes ban smoking on employer support, including that of a significant percentage of smokers. Various activities have been associated with declines in the percentage of smokers in the population, but the independent effects of restrictive smoking policies on smoking prevalence have not yet been elucidated. The most important trend among management and workers in private and public workplaces is the shift from acceptance of smoking and the primacy of the rights of the smoker to discouragement of smoking. Intensive efforts to discourage tobacco use and to establish nonsmoking as normative behavior at the worksite have been commonplace. Should present trends continue, smoking prohibition in the worksite could be common within the next decade.

7. Smoking cessation programs in the workplace: Review and recommendations for occupational health nurses; Strasser PB; AAOHN Journal; 39 (9), pp. 432-438; September 1991

Format: Review Article

Summary

Seventeen studies of worksite smoking cessation were examined. Although the review was limited, the conclusions are supported by a recent meta-analysis of worksite smoking research. Fisher (1990) determined that although worksite smoking cessation programs do produce significantly higher quit rates than control and current conditions, poor research methodologies along with multifaceted program approaches make it difficult to identify one or two strategies that will predict success for smokers who attempt to quit (Fisher, 1990). If, as research suggests, there is no “magic bullet” to offer smokers who want to quit, then occupational health nurses have a unique opportunity to design programs for the specific needs of the workers in their practice. Many nurses are in a setting where they can closely evaluate which treatment approaches seem to be effective and modify interventions appropriately, In addition, occupation; health nurses have advantage of being able to intervene over time, which may be more effective than a single, discrete program. As the social climate becomes less supportive of smoking, more and more smokers are looking for assistance to quit. Programs in the workplace carried out by occupational health nurses are a logical choice to provide this help. Fisher (1988) reported 70% of workers participating in worksite programs indicated they would not have sought another program if one had not been offered at work. Published reports of nurses’ involvement in worksite smoking cessation programs are sparse. Jordan Marsh (1988) reports that occupational health nurses are much less involved than physicians in counseling smokers. Occupational health nurses should be at the forefront of the effort, seizing the opportunity to spearhead smoking cessation efforts at the workplace. The benefits from such efforts will affect worker health directly and business costs indirectly. What better way for occupational health nurses to prove their worth to business and obtain personal satisfaction than to help individual workers improve their health status?

8. Work site smoking cessation: A meta-analysis of long-term quit rates from controlled studies; Fisher KJ, Glasgow RE, Terborg JR; Journal of Occupational Medicine; 32 (5), pp. 429-439; May 1990 

Format: Review Article

Abstract:

Meta-analytic techniques were applied to 20 controlled studies of work site cessation yielding a total of 34 comparisons of long-term (average = 12 months) quit rate (QR). An overall weighted mean effect size (ES) of .21 ? .07 was found, indicating a modest but significant overall effect (P < .01). The weighted average follow-up QR from all interventions was 13%. Based on previous research, characteristics associated with interventions, work sites, employees, and research methodology were identified as potential moderator variables. Apart from methodological variables, interventions conducted in smaller work sites (ES = .45 ? .17), which lasted 2 to 6 hours (ES = .28 ? .07) were associated with the largest effect sizes. We were also interested in absolute quit rates. After controlling for methodological quality, programs that included a cessation group component (partial r= -.42), and that shared company and employee time (partial r = -.48), as well as the above variables had the strongest associations with QR. Implications for public health policy and future research are discussed.

Conclusion (abbreviated):

In summary, the best-evidence criteria of Slavin proved to be a useful basis on which to select studies for a meta-analysis of work site smoking cessation. The primary analysis answered conclusively that work site interventions significantly influence QR. Interventions that used at least part of employees’ own time, were more intense, contained cessation groups, and were conducted in smaller organizations were associated with higher QR. Work site programs appear to be particularly effective in assisting heavier smokers to quit. These factors, however, explained only some of the variability in outcome. Patterns of the relationships between variables were clarified when methodological factors were controlled. Finally, the modest but significant and conservatively defined long-term QR of 13%, generated from 20 controlled studies, can be regarded as a quantitative assessment of the impact of these interventions, a benchmark against which future WSC investigations can be compared.

CANADIAN SURVEYS AND TRENDS

1. Which workers smoke?; Gaudette LA, Richardson A, Huang S; Health Reports:10(3); pp. 35-45; Winter 1998

Format: Journal Article

Main Results:

In 1994/95, 28% of full-time workers were daily smokers, and about a third of them smoked 25 or more cigarettes a day. Smoking prevalence and intensity were lowest among white-collar workers and highest among blue-collar workers. Since 1978/79, there has been an overall decline in smoking prevalence, and since 1986, a decline in smoking intensity among all workers except those in outdoor blue-collar occupations. About 6 in 10 full-time workers who smoked daily encountered restrictions at work.

Implications:

The 1994/95 National Population Health Survey shows that smokers who reported workplace restrictions were less likely to smoke heavily and more likely to have tried to cut down. However, these results cannot be used to conclude that the presence of bans caused reductions in smoking. In fact, workers reporting restrictions were no more likely to have tried to quit than workers who reported no restrictions. Smoking restrictions are only one factor that may influence workers who smoke. Smoking has been associated with stress caused by high job strain. It may be a coping strategy to deal with work involving high demands and low levels of autonomy…. Women in clerical occupations, who have a below-average quit rate, fit these stress patterns. High job strain can also be expected from the assembly-line nature, tight supervision and boredom associated with many indoor blue-collar occupations. As well, some blue-collar occupations entail a degree of danger. Workers in such jobs may perceive smoking to be a relatively innocuous risk compared with other serious hazards that they confront. Social factors are also important. Many blue-collar workers seem to be committed smokers who may be receiving support from peer groups to continue smoking, and may be more likely to socialize in places with less stringent smoking restrictions.

2. Relationship of organizational characteristics of Canadian workplaces to anti-smoking initiatives; Frankish CJ, Johnson JL, Ratner PA, Lovato CY; Preventive Medicine; 26; pp. 248-256; 1997

Format: Journal Article

Results:

One-half of workplaces reported some kind of smoking-related initiative. Most of the initiatives were smoking policies; only 11.7% of workplaces provided smoking cessation programs. The number of employees and the number of other lifestyle and occupational health and safety programs available are most predictive of smoking-related programs. 

Conclusion: If Canadians are going to achieve a smoke-free society, greater efforts to assist smokers to quit will be necessary. The workplace provides an excellent opportunity for such efforts. Health promotion advocates must communicate the cost savings and other benefits to employers garnered from workplace smoking reduction efforts.

3. The role of information, policy & programs in worksite smoking control; Frankish CJ, Johnson J; Lovato C, Green L, Ratner P, Best A; Institute of Health Promotion Research; 1995

Format: Report for The Canadian Fitness & Lifestyle Research Institute and Health Canada

Recommendations (abbreviated):

[General recommendations regarding smoking control in work settings] Canadian employers have not had the same level of motivation to provide health promotion programs for their employees as have American employers who face paying the medical bills or the increased insurance premiums if their employees fall ill. One result of this disparity in motivation is the underdevelopment in the Canadian context of workplace tobacco control…. We recommend government leadership in providing tax incentives and technical support for employers to offer worksite smoking cessation programs in conjunction with smoke-free workplace policies and more comprehensive health promotion programs. The more comprehensive programs need to address not only the behaviour of employees (e.g., coping with stress), but also the working conditions (e.g., sources of stress, other aspects of workplace air quality besides smoking). We recommend a national task force with government, academic, business, and labour representation to do a cost-benefit study and develop a business case. COMMIT offers the best demonstration to date of the role for workplace programs within a comprehensive community-based strategy…. Meta-analysis of controlled studies supports their effectiveness in terms of smoking cessation… as do recent state-wide evaluation data from California…. The California data are particularly compelling: between 1990 and 1993 (during the intensive state-wide tobacco control program), the number of smoke-free workplaces almost doubled. Maintaining a smokefree work area was associated with a 14% reduction in smoking prevalence…. 

4. Smoking cessation initiatives in the workplace; The Conference Board of Canada; 1995

Format: Report

Highlights (abbreviated):

? Employee health and wellness appears to be relatively important among participating organizations.  

? The level of assistance provided to employees for smoking cessation is another indicator of the importance of employee health and wellness.  

? Most smoking cessation initiatives are fully-funded by organizations and are usually stand-alone in nature.

? Various studies have identified important health and productivity issues arising from having employees leave their work areas to smoke.

? Only 3 per cent of responding organizations conduct evaluations of their programs.

? A smoke-free environment can be a key motivator for smokers wishing to quit.

? Notable gender differences were identified in the survey in terms of smoking behaviour, desire to quit and perceived barriers to success.

? The types of formal workplace programs offered are somewhat inconsistent with employee preferences.

? Some employers expressed a need for additional resources in terms of more information on the hazards of smoking, community resources available and programs targeted at heavy smokers.

5. Workplace smoking: Trends, issues and strategies; Lowe GS; Health Canada; October 1995

Format: Discussion Paper

Conclusion:

Having reviewed the current state of research on workplace smoking restrictions and evaluated existing legislation, we can now suggest future research and policy directions for Canada. While Canada has made considerable progress in reducing workplace ETS exposure, the goals of the NSTRTU have been achieved in only a few industries and occupations. Blue-collar occupations and huge areas of the service sector have smoking rates well above average. Small firms, which employ the majority of Canadian workers, are less affected by smoking regulations. Moreover, total bans on ETS are not yet the standard for regulation. Generally, workers comply with smoking legislation or policies. However, achieving greater reductions in ETS exposure will require enforcement strategies aimed at non-conforming groups. In integrated ETS reduction strategy must involve government, employers, unions and public health organizations. Uniform minimum standards are also essential and should be established at the provincial level. However, most progress in achieving smoke-free workplaces is now occurring at the municipal level. The use of enhanced OHS legislation may also be a useful strategy to reduce ETS in high-exposure worksites.

6. Workplace smoking policies and public reaction in Alberta: An analysis of the 1990 Alberta survey; Krahn H, van Roosmalen E; Health and Welfare Canada; 1990

  Format: Report Conclusions (abbreviated):

? Workplace smoking policies have become much more common, with a substantial majority of workers protected by some type of policy.

? As workplace smoking policies have become more common, the strong support for them which was observed in earlier studies has remained. In general, the principle that the rights of non-smokers must be protected appears to be the norm.

? A small minority of workers continue to violate “no smoking” policies, but they face a reasonably high chance of being asked to comply by another small minority of co-workers.

? Although residents of larger urban centres are somewhat less likely to smoke, and while workplace smoking policies are somewhat less common in rural and small town settings, rural and urban residents appear to be equally receptive to “no smoking” policies.

CESSATION

1. Employee stress levels and the intention to participate in a worksite smoking cessation program; Chen W-F, Heaney CA; Journal of Behavioral Medicine; 20(4); pp. 351-364; 1997.

Format: Journal Article

Abstract:

This study examines the nature and extend of the relationship between stress levels and intentions to participate in a worksite smoking cessation program among male current smokers (n=220) employed in an automobile manufacturing plant. A plantwide survey was conducted which measured job stress, nonjob stress, smoking behavior, and intent to participate. The results of polychotomous logistic regressions suggest that among the current smokers in this plant, job and nonjob stress were positively associated with workers’ intentions to participate in a worksite smoking cessation program. Thus, contrary to the popular notion that stress diminishes the motivation to quit, employees under high levels of stress may be most receptive to educational interventions intended to persuade smokers to commit to quitting.

2. Smoking-specific weight gain concerns and smoking cessation in a working population; Jeffery RW, Boles SM, Strycker LA, Glasgow RE; Health Psychology; 61(5); pp. 487-489; 1997

Format: Journal Article

Abstract:

Smoking cessation rates, progression in stage of change for smoking cessation, and serious quit attempts were examined over 2 years in a cohort of 242 men and women smokers (mean age 39.7 years, mean body mass index [BMI] 26.3) as a function of expressing concern about gaining weight because of quitting smoking. Participants were employees of 25 companies who were in a worksite health promotion program aimed at reducing risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Multivariate odds ratios (controlled for age, education, job class, sex, and BMI) for quitting smoking, attempting to quit smoking, and progressing in stage of change for smoking cessation as a function of weight concern were not significant. Interactions between sex and weight concern, and BMI and weight concern were also not significant. These findings, in a working, predominantly blue-collar population, and those of other studies, suggest that concern about gaining weight is, at best, a weak predictor of change in smoking behavior among most workers.

3. A worksite smoking intervention: A 2 year assessment of groups, incentives and self-help; Jason LA, Salina DA, McMahon SD, Hedeker D, Stockton M. Health Education Research; 12(1); pp. 129-138; 1997

Format: Journal Article

Conclusions:

The costs of smoking to our society ($100 billion annually) are enormous. When the costs and the benefits of these three worksite programs are considered, all three are highly cost-effective…. However, given the convergent nature of the data and the expense involved in the implementation of the group intervention, the self-help and incentive interventions could be considered relatively more cost-effective than the group intervention at long-term follow-up. Yet, each intervention has unique benefits that should be considered. Media interventions and self-help groups represent effective methods of reaching thousands of smokers. The media has the additional benefit of raising the awareness and sensitivity of the general public to the difficulties involved in quitting smoking. Incentives may increase response rates and participation rates. Groups may help participants identify coping strategies that are specifically effective for them, and provide an environment where they can prepare, practice and support each other. Smokers may benefit from access to a variety of intervention methods, as different approaches may appeal to different individuals.

4. Health and economic implications of a work-site smoking-cessation program: A simulation analysis; Warner KE, Smith RJ, Smith DG, Fries BE. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 38 (10); pp. 981-992; October 1996

Format: Journal Article

Abstract:

In this article, we examine the health and economic implications of a workplace smoking-cessation program by using a simulation model that includes, among its novel features, consideration of long-term as well as short-term implications and evaluation of the effects of employee turnover on benefits derived by both the firm and the broader community. As a result of employee turnover, approximately half of the program-generated benefits are realized by the community outside the firm. Still, smoking cessation is a very sound economic investment for the firm, and is particularly profitable when long-term benefits are included, with an eventual benefit-cost ratio of 8.75. Saving life-years at a cost of $894 each, the program is more cost-effective than most of the conventional medical care covered by the firm’s insurance. Nevertheless, the intervention successfully addresses only a fraction of the costs that smoking imposes on the firm.

Principal conclusions (abbreviated):

? The most important, if not necessarily most intriguing, conclusion of this study is that our findings are consistent with the conventional wisdom that a work-site smoking cessation program will generate economic benefits that exceed the program’s cost. Indeed, in the base case analysis, each of the four areas of economic benefit – medical care, absenteeism, on-the-job productivity, and life insurance – eventually yields financial returns that more than cover program cost…. 

? The analysis confirms another piece of conventional wisdom, namely, that a smoking-cessation program is a cost-effective investment in employee health. The cost per life-year saved of $894 is consistent with the findings from other cost-effectiveness analyses of smoking cessation…

? One of the more intriguing conclusions from our analysis is that previous studies may have systematically and considerably underestimated the magnitude of the eventual net financial benefit associated with workplace health promotion at the same time that they overestimated benefits and underestimated costs during the short-run time periods they evaluated….

? This analysis suggests that a work-site smoking-cessation program, well-funded and realistic in its expectations with regard to successful quitting, is a distinct economic winner, for both the firm that runs the program and for the broader community within which the firm is located. In concluding, however, we emphasize that we have never believed that a health-promotion program must yield a positive financial return to justify its existence. Firms interested in their employees’ welfare should see an intervention such as the one studied here to be an extraordinary investment in their employees’ health: this work-site wellness intervention grants employees additional years of life at a cost well below that of nearly all of the medical interventions the firm covers through its conventional health insurance. We consider the fact that the program also generates a handsome economic return a very welcome bonus.

 5. Effectiveness of nicotine patches in a workplace smoking cessation program: An eleven-month follow-up study; Mankani SK, Garabrant DH, Homa DM. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 38 (2); pp. 184-189; February 1996 

Format: Journal Article

Abstract:

Transdermal nicotine patches are widely prescribed as part of smoking cessation programs, but their efficacy beyond 6 months is not well established. We evaluated the efficacy of a 70-day treatment regimen among 75 subjects in an industrial setting where follow-up was conducted for 11 months. The median time free of cigarettes was 73 days, and the overall smoking abstinence rate was 9% after 11 months of follow-up. Smoking abstinence was significantly higher among those subjects who completed the full course of treatment than among those who did not (25 vs. 6%, respectively). Smoking abstinence was also higher among subjects who started smoking after age 17 than among those who started at younger ages and was higher among mail than female subjects. We conclude that transdermal nicotine patches are of limited efficacy in achieving long-term smoking cessation and that the relative costs and benefits of this treatment are not adequately specified.

 6. Assessing a smoking cessation intervention involving groups, incentives, and self-help manuals; Jason LA, McMahon SD, Salina D, Hedeker D, Stockton M, Dunson K, Kimball P. Behavior Therapy 26, 393-408; 1995

Format: Journal Article

Abstract:

A media-based worksite smoking cessation program was evaluated. Participants in each worksite received a television program and one of three conditions: 1) self-help manuals alone, 2) self-help manuals and incentives, or 3) maintenance manuals, incentives, support groups, and cognitive behavioral strategies for quitting smoking. During the 6 months following the initial media and group meeting intervention phase, 14 booster meetings were held for participants who had received support groups. The quit-rate among participants who received manuals, incentives and groups was significantly higher than the quit rate among participants who received the manuals and incentives, or just the manuals. The results indicate that the combination of cognitive behavioral techniques and social support may represent an effective worksite smoking cessation intervention. The significant effect of the group condition 12 months following initial quit efforts is particularly promising.

7. Is a telephone helpline of value to the workplace smoker?; Amos A, White DA, Elton RA. Occupational Medicine 45 (5);234-238; 1995

Format: Journal Article

Abstract:

This paper reports the findings of the evaluation of a national smokers’ helpline which was set up by British Telecom (BT) for its employees. The helpline formed part of a new comprehensive smoking policy for all BT staff. Over 1000 employees, more than 3.0% of all smokers, phoned the helpline during the first three months of its operation. Two-thirds of callers tried to quit smoking after calling the helpline, and a quarter were still successful three months later. One in six callers reduced the number of cigarettes that they smoked on working days. While the helpline and other cessation support services were evaluated positively by callers, it appears that helplines only appeal to a small minority of smokers. However, they do seem to be an effective mechanism for a nationwide company to identify those smokers who want support, and a useful means of centralizing the administration of support services. They are potentially a cost-effective option for larger employers.

8. Reducing smoking at the workplace: Implementing a smoking ban and hypnotherapy; Sorensen G, Beder B, Prible CR, Pinney J. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 37 (4);453-460; April 1995

Format: Journal Article

Abstract:

Smoking cessation programs may be an important component in the implementation of worksite smoking policies. This study examines the impact of worksite smoking policies. This study examines the impact of a smoke-free policy and the effectiveness of an accompanying hypnotherapy smoking cessation program. Participants in the 90-minute smoking cessation seminar were surveyed 12 months after the program was implemented (n=2642; response rate=76%). Seventy-one percent of the smokers participated in the hypnotherapy program. Fifteen percent of survey respondents quit and remained continuously abstinent. A survey to assess attitudes toward the policy was conducted 1 year after policy implementation (n=1256; response rate=64%). Satisfaction was especially high among those reporting high compliance with the policy. These results suggest that hypnotherapy may be an attractive alternative smoking cessation method, particularly when used in conjunction with a smoke-free worksite policy that offers added incentive for smokers to think about quitting.

9. Smoking and the workplace: Realities and solutions; Henningfield JE, Ramström, Husten CG, Givino GA, Zhu BP, Barling J, Weber C, Kelloway EK, Strecher VJ, Jarvis MJ, Weiss J. Journal of Smoking-related Disease 94 (5): Suppl. 1; 261-270; 1994 

Format: Journal Article

Abstract:

Smoking imposes important costs on employers in terms of increased healthcare expenses and lost productivity due to absenteeism. However, smoking cessation programmes in the workplace may achieve substantial cost savings and productivity benefits, as indicated by new data showing that workers who have stopped smoking for at least a year lose significantly fewer work days and have significantly less morbidity than those who continue to smoke. Moreover, morbidity, absenteeism and use of healthcare resources will eventually be comparable between former smokers and individuals who never smoked. The workplace seems an almost ideal setting for smoking cessation intervention, particularly if restrictive smoking policies are in place, and may also be especially good for reaching blue-collar and unskilled workers. Smoking cessation treatment is more cost-effective than many other accepted medical practices, such as pharmacological treatment of hypertension or hypercholesterolaemia. For smokers with strong nicotine dependence, interventions that include nicotine replacement appear to be clearly more cost-beneficial than non-pharmacological therapies alone. Programmes tailored to a smoker’s own ideas about the benefits and drawbacks of quitting offer a promising new approach to intervention. Further trials are necessary to establish the optimal form of intervention and to assess the value of nicotine replacement in the workplace setting.

10. Smoking cessation at the workplace: Conceptual and practical considerations; Abrams D, Emmons KM, Linnan L, Biener L. In Interventions for Smokers: An International Perspective; Baltimore: Wilkins & Wilkins; pp. 127-169; 1994. 

Format: Book Chapter

Conclusions (abbreviated):

[I]nterventions directed at defined populations increasingly have adopted a broadening theoretical model due to an integration of individual and public health perspectives. In some ways, worksites are an ideal “laboratory” in which to examine this integration since they are at an intermediate level of social complexity between the individual and the community/population extremes of a continuum of social structure…. Despite advances in understanding smoking behavior (from both a biological and a societal perspective), there remains a significant gap between the individual biobehavioral and public health disciplines. It is important for scientists focusing on the individual perspective to be more cognizant of the public health- population perspective and vice versa…. Worksite intervention and research can provide one opportunity for a detailed study of complex interactions between the individual and the organizational environment. Such research can inform investigators about mechanisms of change and about cost-effective operating principles for public health-focused interventions in general.

 11. The impact of incentives and competitions on participation and quit rates in worksite smoking cessation programs; Matson DM, Lee JW, Hopp JW. American Journal of Health Promotion; 7(4); pp. 270-280, 295

Format: Review Article

Abstract (abbreviated):

Purpose: The purpose of this review is to determine whether incentive-based programs conducted at worksites increased participation and long-term smoking cessation rates. Conclusions: It appears that incentives/competition may be useful for increasing participation and smoking reduction. Further research needs to be conducted to determine whether incentives and/or competition enhance long-term quit rates, and what are the most effective types of incentive procedures.

12. Promoting smoking cessation at the workplace: Results of a randomized controlled intervention study; Sorensen G, Lando H, Pechacek TF. Journal of Occupational Medicine; 35(2); pp. 121-126; February 1993

Format: Journal Article

Abstract:

This paper presents results from a preliminary short-term work-site intervention study aimed at smoking cessation. The 3-month intervention included consultation for employers on the adoption of a nonsmoking policy, training for nonsmokers to provide assistance to smokers attempting to quit, and cessation classes for smokers. Eight work sites from Bloomington, Minnesota were recruited to the study and randomly assigned to an intervention or comparison condition after a baseline survey of all employees. To assess the effect of the intervention, smokers were surveyed 1 and 6 months after the intervention was completed. At the 1-month follow-up, the overall quit rate in the intervention group was 12% compared to 5% in the control group (P>.05). At the 6-month follow-up, 12% of smokers in the intervention group reported quitting, compared to 9% in the control group (P>.05). Co-worker support for quitting was higher in the intervention group compared to the comparison group. Cessation was highest overall among smokers whose co-workers frequently asked them not to smoke and among those who worked with a high proportion of nonsmokers. These results indicate that a short-term, multifaceted smoking cessation program implemented in work sites can affect smoking cessation rates as well as the work-site norms about smoking.

13. Worksite smoking control, discouragement, and cessation; Dawley LT,HH, Glasgow RE, Rice J, Correa P. The International Journal of the ; 28(8): pp. 719-733; 1993 

Format: Journal Article

Abstract:

Smoking control, discouragement, and cessation were investigated at three comparable chemical plants. One plant was randomly assigned to smoking cessation only while the other two plants were assigned to a comprehensive program of smoking control, discouragement, and cessation. Three weeks later, smoking cessation was provided at all three sites. Results are consistent with a previous investigation of the comprehensive program carried out at two oil refineries. Not only was there a greater rate of participation in the smoking cessation program with the comprehensive program, 4 months after completion of smoking cessation treatment revealed significant changes on all outcome variables in the expected direction and suggest the superiority of a comprehensive program of smoking control, discouragement, and cessation over cessation alone.

14. Implementing a year-long, worksite-based incentive program for smoking cessation; Glasgow RE, Hollis JF, Pettigrew L, Foster L, Givi MJ, Morrisette G. American Journal of Health Promotion; 5(3); pp. 192-199; January/February 1991

Format: Journal Article

Abstract (abbreviated):

Background: There have been few reports of the process of implementing ongoing worksite health promotion programs. This article describes the implementation of a year-long smoking cessation program in nine worksites employing a total of approximately 700 smokers. Results: The program produced high participation rates (29% of smokers joined the program) and moderate cessation rates among participants (during the last half of the program, monthly cessation rates averaged 20%). There was marked variability across worksites on both participation and cessation, and qualitative features of organizations associated with outcome are discussed.

15. Cessation and relapse in a year-long workplace quit-smoking contest; Sloan RP, Dimberg L, Welkowitz LA, Kristiansen MA. Preventive Medicine; 19; pp. 414-423; 1990

Format: Journal Article

Abstract:

In an attempt to increase the impact of smoking cessation activities, some recent studies have examined the use of contests and competitions. The study reported here evaluates a year-long multiple-lottery quit-smoking contest at Volvo Flygmotor, the Volvo aircraft engine manufacturing company in Trollhattan, Sweden. Lotteries were held at 1, 6 and 12 months after the contest began. By quitting for at least 1 month, enrollees were eligible no win cash prizes. Maintaining nonsmoking status from a previous lottery automatically qualified enrollees for the next one. Smoking status was established by self-report, expired carbon monoxide, and saliva cotinine. Seventy-three employees, representing approximately 10% of the company’s smokers, entered the contest during the initial 2-week enrollment period. Point prevalence 1-month and 6-month cessation rates were 64.4 and 49.3% respectively. Continuous abstinence 6-month and 1-year rates were 45.2 and 32.8% respectively. Psychological, home, work and smoking history variables generally were not related to cessation or relapse.

COMMUNITY WORKSITE INTERVENTIONS

1. Promoting worksite smoking control policies and actions: The Community Intervention Trial for Smoking Cessation (COMMIT) experience; Glasgow RE, Sorensen G, Giffen C, Shipley RH, Corbett K, Lynn W; Preventive Medicine; 25; 186-194; 1996

Format: Journal Article

Abstract (abbreviated):

Background: As an important aspect of the COMMIT trial, worksite smoking-control consultations and supports were provided to employers in 11 diverse, moderate- sized communities. After a 4-year intervention period (1989 – 1992), impacts on worksite policies, support resources for smokers, and employee perceptions were assessed in these communities and in 11 matched Comparison communities. Results: Overall, 44% of the worksites surveyed reported having smokefree policies, with no differences between Intervention and Comparison communities. Thirty- seven percent of Intervention community worksites reported offering smoking cessation resources or assistance for employees during the period of the study, compared to 31% of Comparison community worksites (P=0.04). Employees in Intervention communities, relative to those in Comparison communities, reported greater awareness of stop-smoking resource, but equivalent increases in worksite smoking bans.

Conclusion: Although the level of worksite smoking-cessation activities was higher in Intervention than in Comparison communities, there remains a substantial need to increase the level of such activities and to integrate such activities with restrictive smoking policies.

2. Learnings from the Brantford COMMIT project: A summary of community intervention strategies for the worksite; Brantford COMMIT, Program Training and Consultation Centre of the Ontario Tobacco Strategy; February 1994

Format: Project Report/Guide

Summary of contents:

Includes descriptions of program strategies and sample resources used by the Brantford COMMIT project relating to worksite activities. These strategies include: 

? Worksite consultations;

? Worksite smoking policy network binder; 

? Smoking policy workshop;

? Between worksite challenges;

? Power breakfast – sick building syndrome; and

? Smoke-free worksite day.

Each strategy includes objectives, description, and target groups as well as a summary of key learnings gained from Brantford COMMIT’s presentation of the strategy. Estimated time and cost estimates for strategies are also included.

LABOUR ISSUES

1. Finding common ground: How public health can work with organized labor to protect workers from environmental tobacco smoke; National Association for Public Health Policy; Journal of Public Health Policy; 18(4); pp. 453-464; 1997

Format: Journal Article

Summary:

Tobacco is not and does not have to be a high priority for all segments of organized labor, but public health advocates should continue to promote the issue and find segments which are open to collaborative efforts to protect workers’ health. Even in those unions representing workers for whom smoking and ETS pose a lower health risk relative to other workplace toxins, smoking policy remains a strategic issue for at least two reasons. First, supporting efforts to control ETS exposure is an issue of service to non-smoking union members, and likewise, bargaining for smoking cessation programs is a service to members who smoke. Second, it is in the union’s interest to engage with management through collective bargaining to develop smoking policies, rather than to allow management to unilaterally propose and/or implement policies. To remain a strong voice in the worksite, labor needs to defend its unions and members from misdirected and overzealous actions. Within the context of the diversity of opinions from within labor and public health, this policy statement aims to identify our common ground and recommend ways to collaborate in protecting worker health. Specifically, we recommend that the public health community take the following actions: 1) assist unions with smoking cessation services that meet the needs of labor, 2) support labor’s efforts to negotiate smoking policies within the context of collective bargaining, 3) include labor in tobacco control coalitions, 4) advocate for regulatory initiatives that include ETS as part of an overall indoor air quality strategy, 5) focus attention on preventing smoking among children of union members, and 6) develop strategies with labor to benefit from savings that employers achieve under smoking restrictions or bans. Smoking and exposure to second-hand smoke represent a threat to the health of workers. Given that the public health and labor movements have a mutual interest in protecting worker health, it makes sense for these two groups to join together on tobacco control policy-making in the worksite.

2. Labor positions on worksite tobacco control policies: A review of arbitration cases; Sorensen G, Youngstrom R, MacLachlan C, Gibson SJ, Emmons K, Johnston D, Levenstein C; Journal of Public Health Policy; 18(4); pp. 433-453; 1997

Format: Review Article

Abstract:

Although worksite smoking restrictions have become increasingly common in recent years, organized labor has generally not been involved in the adoption of these policies; some evidence suggests that unions often oppose the adoption of worksite smoking policies. To contribute to an understanding of labor’s role in tobacco control policies, this paper reports the results of a review of 85 arbitration cases and 5 cases of unfair labor practices charges published between 1986 and 1994. In most of the cases reviewed, management unilaterally imposed a new smoking policy, which the union then grieved. Union opposition to the policy generally focused on the process by which the policy was adopted, rather than the content of the policy; the concern was that management has breached its duty to bargain with the union regarding the adoption of the policy. These results underline the importance of joint labor- management actions on worksite tobacco control policies.

3. No smoking! The arbitration of smoking restricting policies; Petersen DJ; Dispute Resolution Journal; 50(1); pp. 44-50; January 1995

Format: Journal Article

Conclusion (abbreviated):

A review of 42 published arbitration awards convincingly demonstrates that there are few absolutes when it comes to the establishment of rules restricting smoking in the workplace, at least in a unionized setting. It is significant that though the NRLB considers smoking to be a term or condition of employment, some arbitrators view smoking as a privilege, one that can be unilaterally revoked, rather than a mandatory subject for bargaining. There also appears to be sharp disagreement among arbitrators regarding the role of past practices for preventing the adoption of smoking restriction rules…. One area of apparent widespread arbitrage agreement involves management’s right to unilaterally establish reasonable work rules restricting or banning smoking, absent contractual limitations…. An employer, faced with the prospect of amending or establishing a smoking restriction rule, would be wise to approach it with caution in view of the variability of arbitral thought in this controversial area.

4. Arbitrating a smoking ban: A management perspective; Douglas FL; Dispute Resolution Journal; 48(4); pp. 38-44; December 1993

Format: Journal Article

Conclusion:

A smoke-free policy will no doubt result in inconvenience and a loss of comfort to employees who previously enjoyed the privilege of smoking “anywhere” inside. The relatively slight impact upon a smoker’s personal choice to smoke does not tip the scales when balanced against the compelling interests of the employer. Planning how to implement a smoking policy should not be overlooked. If an employer cannot articulate the underlying reasons for a change in a smoking policy, it is doubtful that the same employer can articulate its policy to an arbitrator.

 

5. Unions and Workplace Smoking Policy; Lowe GS, Neale DJ; Kingston, ON: Industrial Relations Centre, Queen’s University, 1992

Format: Monograph

Executive Summary:

Over the past decade, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) has been identified as a major public health hazard. This directly impacts on the workplace and on union-management relations.

This study draws on three major sources of information:

? Published literature on workplace ETS and smoking policies

? Unpublished literature from unions, health promotion organizations, employers, etc.;

? Interviews with over 30 union representatives and officials of health promotion organizations.

The issue of workplace ETS and union involvement in policy-making is addressed from the perspective of union-management and union-government relations. The  following areas are covered:

? Variations in workplace smoking behaviour and attitudes towards workplace smoking;

? The costs of workplace smoking;

? Legislation regulating workplace smoking and specific union responses to legislation;

? Policies from labour organizations, including the CLC, OFL, CUPE, PSAC, CCU, CAIMAW, USWA, CAW and others; 

? Three grievance cases that set important legal precedents and precipitated policy and legislation; 

? Seven case studies of union action that resulted in company workplace smoking policies;

? Recommendations on an effective smoking policy. Because this research is exploratory, no attempt was made to draw a representative sample of all unions in Canada. Rather, the focus was on major public and private sector unions with full-time occupational health officials. This approach rested on the assumption that these unions would reflect major developments and trends regarding the ETS issue within the labour movement as a whole.

LEGAL ISSUES

1. Employer liability for workplace environmental tobacco smoke: Get out of the fog; Vallone, MA; Valparaiso University Law Review; 30; 1996

Format: Journal Article

Conclusion:

The negative effects of ETS on nonsmokers can no longer be denied. The courts are attempting to remedy ETS-related injuries using a variety of methods. This is causing confusion for employees seeking relief. Further, ETS litigation has the potential of creating a massive class of cases for the court system to handle. Moreover, the current methods of redressing ETS-related workplace injuries are inadequate. Therefore, the need to provide these injured individuals with an efficient and just remedy has arrived. In addressing this concern, all potential effects any remedial action will have on society as a whole should be considered. Amending the current workers’ compensation laws to include a remedy for ETS harms will minimize the burden on the courts, will lessen the employers’ costs, and will provide injured employees an effective remedy.

2. An assessment of the current legal climate concerning smoking in the workplace; Fox JC; Saint Louis University Public Law Review; 13(2); 1994

Format: Journal Article

Conclusion:

Considered in their entirety, relevant federal and state statutes and case law provide little support for the efforts of antismokers to impose their views concerning smoking on employers and fellow workers. In all jurisdictions, employers have an obligation to provide employees with a safe and healthful working environment. But that general duty is concerned with the full spectrum of indoor air quality issues and requires employers to consider, among other things, whether their facilities are receiving adequate ventilation and whether the ventilation system is being properly maintained. A limited number of decisions have been sympathetic to the complaints of individual employees claiming a hypersensitivity to co-worker smoking. The remedy typically found to be appropriate in those cases has been a rearrangement of desks or work stations, plus occasionally, other measures falling under the general rubric of “reasonable accommodation.” In the final analysis, decisions concerning smoking in the workplace – to the extent not dictated by a state statute or county or municipal ordinance – are most appropriately left to the good sense and common courtesy of smoking and nonsmoking employees, subject to applicable laws and regulations. The decided cases make clear that employers need not ban smoking to minimize the risk of claims by – or liability to – nonsmoking employees. The key is a policy that provides employees with an adequately ventilated working environment and does not force objecting nonsmokers to share their immediate workspace on a sustained basis with smoking colleagues.

3. Second-hand smoke and the law; in S.W.W.E.A.P. (Smoking in the Workplace Windsor-Essex Action Program) Workplace No Smoking Policy Facilitator’s Guide; McDowell J, SWWEAP; 1996

Format: Guide Chapter

Summary:

Briefly summarizes Canadian federal , Ontario provincial, and Windsor municipal laws governing the issue of smoking in the workplace. Includes: 

? The Non-Smokers’ Health Act 

? Smoking in the Workplace Act (1991) 

? Tobacco Control Act (TCA) Ontario (1994)

? City of Windsor By-law (1995)

Also includes information on health and safety laws relating to smoking, how to refuse unsafe work, and summaries of workplace lawsuits related to smoking.

OUTCOMES

1. Relationship of worksite smoking policy to changes in employee tobacco use: Findings from COMMIT; Glasgow RE, Cummings KM, Hyland A; Tobacco Control; 6(Suppl. 2); S44-S48; 1997

Format: Journal Article

Abstract (abbreviated):

Objective: To report data on the impact of worksite smoking policies on employee smoking behaviour from a large and heterogeneous sample of smokers and worksites in 22 different communities across North America participating in the COMMIT trial.

Results: After controlling for potential confounding factors, regressing analyses revealed that employees who worked in a smoke-free worksite were over 25% more likely to make a serious quit attempt between 1988 and 1993, and over 25% more likely to achieve cessation than those who worked in a worksite that permitted smoking. Among continuing smokers, employees in smoke-free worksites consumed an average of 2 ¾ fewer cigarettes per day compared with those who worked in places with a non-restrictive smoking policy. A smoke-free worksite policy was not associated with a greater likelihood of using smokeless tobacco.

Conclusion: These data from one of the largest and longest smoking cessation studies to date, add support to the conclusion that smoke-free worksite policies help employees to reduce or discontinue use of tobacco.

2. Worksite characteristics and changes in worksite tobacco-control initiatives: Results from the COMMIT study; Sorensen G, Glasgow RE, Topor M, Corbett K; Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine; 39(6); 520-526; June 1997

Format: Journal Article

Abstract:

Few studies have prospectively examined the characteristics associated with worksite adoption of tobacco-control initiatives. Data were collected as apart of the Community Intervention Trial (COMMIT) for Smoking Cessation, which conducted interventions in 11 communities. This smoking cessation intervention was based on community organization principles and delivered through multiple community channels, including worksites, health care providers, the media, and cessation resources. This article reports results from telephone interviews of intervention community worksites having 50 or more employees, conducted at baseline and the end of the intervention period. Among worksites that responded to both baseline and final surveys, 83% had not adopted a smoke-free policy at baseline, and 61% did not offer any cessation aid or quitting resources at baseline. By the final survey, 34$ of those with no smoking ban at baseline had become smoke-free, and 36^ of those offering no cessation assistance at baseline were offering cessation resources at the follow-up. The prevalence of policy adoption was higher among worksites employing more female employees and offering other health-promotion activities; manufacturing businesses were significantly less likely than businesses other than service and wholesale/retail businesses to adopt policies. Adoption of cessation programs was significantly more likely among worksites employing 100 to 249 orkers, compared with those employing 50 to 99 workers; those predominantly employing men; those offering other types of health-promotion activities; and those with a higher rate of turnover. These results provide important information about the characteristics of worksites likely to engage in tobacco-control efforts. Health educators and others may choose to target those worksites most ready for adoption of tobacco control policies and programs, as indicated by these findings.

3. Workplace smoking policy and changes in smoking behaviour in California: A suggested association; Patten CA, Gilpin E, Cavin SW, Pierce JP; Tobacco Control; 4; pp. 36-41; 1995

Format: Journal Article

Abstract (abbreviated):

Objective: To examine the association between changes in smoking behaviour and changes in workplace smoking policies in California, USA. Subjects: Longitudinal sample of 1844 California adult indoor workers interviewed in 1990 and 1992. Respondents were classified into one of four groups according to whether they worked in a smoke-free work area in neither 1990 nor 1992 (group 1), in 1992 only (group 2), in 1990 and in 1992 (group 3), or in 1990 only (group 4).

Results: Smoking prevalence changed from 1990 to 1992 as a function of change in workplace smoking policy. In group 3 there was a percentage decrease of 11.4%, but only a 5.9% decrease in group 2. For group 4, smoking prevalence showed a percentage increase of 50.9%, whereas group 1 was unchanged. Although these individual effects were not statistically significant, the ?2 analysis for the overall change in smoking status among those who were current smokers in either 1990 or 1992 suggested there was an association (p<0.06). The largest decrease in cigarette consumption (1.4 cigarettes/day) was found for group 2. Group 4 increased their daily cigarette consumption by about four cigarettes per day, and 38.0% of these workers did not report smoking in 1990, but reported smoking in 1992. Multivariate analysis indicated that those who change from working in an area under a smoke-free policy to no restrictions are highly unlikely to decrease their cigarette consumption.

Conclusion: Workplace smoking policies that are maintained may encourage changes in smoking behaviour. Smoking prevalence and cigarette consumption may increase when workers move from a workplace that prohibits smoking in the work area to one that allows work area smoking.

4. Effects of a restricted work-site smoking policy on employees who smoke; Brigham J, Gross J, Stitzer JL, Felch LJ; American Journal of Public Health; 85(5); 773-778; May 1994 

Format: Journal Article 

Abstract (abbreviated):

Objectives: This study evaluated the biological and subjective consequences observed in individual smokers after implementation of a work-place smoking-restriction policy.

Results: Smokers at the restricted site had verified smoking reduction (mean = four cigarettes per day) and significantly reduced nicotine and carbon monoxide during the work shift. There were increases in ratings of some common withdrawal  symptoms (Cravings/urges, concentration difficulties, increased eating, depression). No evidence of compensatory smoking during nonwork hours was found. Overall tobacco exposure, as measured in saliva cotinine, showed a nonsignificant 15% decline. Conclusions: Workplace smoking restriction markedly altered smoking patterns (i.e., reduced daytime smoking) and reduced cotinine levels to an amount consistent with cigarette reduction. Thus, work-site smoking restriction may promote meaningful, albeit limited, reductions in tobacco exposure and consequent health risks.

5. Smoking regulations at the workplace and smoking behavior: A study from southern Germany; Brenner H, Fleischle B; Preventive Medicine; 23; 230-234; 1994