Characteristics of low-level cigarette smoking in a California Hispanic farm worker cohort

Details

• Personal Author:
  Hennessy-Burt T ; Marois M ; Rodriquez E ; Schenker MB
• Description:
  RATIONALE: In the US, cigarette smoking is a preventable cause of death. Hispanics smoke at lower rates than non-Hispanic Whites and Blacks; however, risks of low-level smoking have not been established. This study characterizes low-level smokers and identifies risk factors in a California farm worker population. METHODS: MICASA is a population-based investigation of agricultural exposures and health. 620 participants completed baseline and follow-up interviews. Smokers were identified as smoking at least 100 cigarettes and low-level smokers were comprised of those who smoked ≤ 5 cigarettes/day. RESULTS: Mean age was 40.9; 55% were women. 68% were Mexican-born, 28% were Central American-born, and 3% were US-born. 76% reported household incomes <$30,000. Men worked 17.7 years on average in agriculture compared to 10.5 years for women (p<0.0001). 32% of men and 8% of women reported ever smoking (p<0.0001). At follow-up interview, 7% were current smokers and 11% were former smokers. 12% of men and 4% of women were current smokers while 21% of men and 4% of women were former smokers (p<0.0001). Smoking status at follow-up showed 69% of men and 92% of women were never smokers, 14% of men and 5% of women were low-level smokers, and 18% of men and 4% of women were regular smokers (p<0.0001). 56% of Central American-born smokers were low-level smokers compared to 45% of Mexican-born and 40% of US-born. In unadjusted models, age (OR=0.97;95%CI:0.94-1.00), gender (OR=1.68;95%CI:0.57-5.01), and foreign birth (OR=1.37;95%CI:0.19-10.07) were not associated with low-level smoking. Low-level smokers smoked fewer days in the past month compared to their regular counterparts (19 versus 26; p=0.04). In models adjusted for sex, low-level smoking was associated with current smoking (OR=2.43;95%CI:1.01-5.82) and working in agriculture for ≤ 10 years (OR=2.78;95%CI:1.04-7.45). CONCLUSION: Farm workers who smoke at low-levels are more likely to be current smokers and smoke less days a month than regular smokers. Additionally, low-level smokers were more likely to have shorter agricultural work experience. Future research into the self-perceptions of low-level smokers as smokers or non-smokers would further build on these findings. This characterization of low-level smokers can increase our understanding of smoking behavior among Hispanics and assist in the development and targeting of future smoking education and cessation programs. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Behavior Demography Farmers Mass Behavior Men Occupational Health Race Factors Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Smokers Surveys And Questionnaires Tobacco Products Women

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• Keywords:
  Agricultural-workers Cigarette-smoking Demographic-characteristics Exposure-levels Group-behavior Health-surveys Humans Racial-factors Risk-analysis Risk-factors Smoking Sociological-factors Tobacco

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• ISSN:
  1073-449X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  California ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  183
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20044734
• Citation:
  Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2011 May; 183(Meeting Abstracts):A1772
• Contact Point Address:
  E. Rodriquez, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA
• Email:
  erodriquez@ucdavis.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2011
• Performing Organization:
  University of California - Davis
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20080401
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
• Supplement:
  Meeting Abstracts
• End Date:
  20140331
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:4249b3015a75101b7b362143e644799c4ee6566a7a9214a1c8bcb32b90e0224283942e71a5abc23bea29c60bdd5b88c683773090df0cd4d69fcda078fbc9c053
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/200372/cdc_200372_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 18.83 KB ]