RESEARCH PAPER

Psychosocial work conditions, social capital, and daily smoking: a population based study

M Lindström

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr Martin Lindström
Department of Community Medicine, Malmö University Hospital, Lund University, S-205 02 Malmö, Sweden; martin.lindstrom{at}smi.mas.lu.se

Objective: To investigate the associations between psychosocial conditions at work, social capital/social participation, and daily smoking.

Design/setting/participants/measurements: The 2000 public health survey in Scania is a cross sectional postal questionnaire study with a 59% participation rate. A total of 5180 persons aged 18–64 years that belonged to the work force and the unemployed were included in this study. Logistic regression models were used to investigate the associations between psychosocial factors at work/unemployment, social participation, and daily smoking. Psychosocial conditions at work were defined according to the Karasek-Theorell demand–control/decision latitudes into relaxed, active, passive, and jobstrain categories. The multivariate analyses included age, country of origin, education and economic stress.

Results: 17.2% proportion of all men and 21.9% of all women were daily smokers. The jobstrain (high demands/low control) and unemployed categories had significantly higher odds ratios of daily smoking among both men and women compared to the relaxed (low demands/high control) reference category. The passive (low demands/low control), jobstrain, and unemployed categories were also significantly associated with low social participation. Low social participation was significantly and positively associated with daily smoking within each of the psychosocial work conditions and unemployed categories.

Conclusions: The positive association between low social capital/low social participation and daily smoking is well known. However, both social participation and daily smoking are associated with psychosocial work conditions and unemployment. Psychosocial work conditions and unemployment may affect daily smoking both directly and through a pathway including social participation.

Keywords: psychosocial conditions at work; social capital; social participation; daily smoking

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Blackman, T. (2008). Can smoking cessation services be better targeted to tackle health inequalities? Evidence from a cross-sectional study. Health Education Journal 67: 91-101 [Abstract]  
• Sadiq Mohammad Ali, , Lindstrom, M. (2008). Psychosocial work conditions, unemployment and health locus of control: A population-based study. Scand J Public Health 36: 429-435 [Abstract]  
• Lindstrom, M. (2007). Nicotine replacement therapy, professional therapy, snuff use and tobacco smoking: a study of smoking cessation strategies in southern Sweden. Tobacco Control 16: 410-416 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Lindstrom, M., Janzon, E. (2007). Social capital, institutional (vertical) trust and smoking: A study of daily smoking and smoking cessation among ever smokers. Scand J Public Health 35: 460-467 [Abstract]  
• John, U, Riedel, J, Rumpf, H-J, Hapke, U, Meyer, C (2006). Associations of perceived work strain with nicotine dependence in a community sample.. Occup. Environ. Med. 63: 207-211 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Lindstrom, M. (2005). Psychosocial work conditions, unemployment and self-reported psychological health: a population-based study. Occup Med (Lond) 55: 568-571 [Abstract] [Full Text]