The effects of psychosocial work organization on patterns of cigarette smoking among male chemical plant employees

We tested the hypothesis that job strain (the combination of high psychological job demands and low work control) is positively associated with smoking prevalence and intensity in a study group of 389 males employed in a chemical plant, using a self-administered questionnaire. In a logistic regression analysis which controlled for a number of sociodemographic factors, job strain was not found to be associated with smoking cessation. However, among smokers, those in higher-strain jobs smoked more heavily than those in lower-strain positions (OR 1.70, 95% CI = 1.10, 2.61) and were more likely to have increased the amount they smoke (OR 3.72, 95% CI = 1.92, 7.17).