Smokers Take More Time Off from WorkDecember 8, 2000
Research Summary
A recent study found that young healthy smokers take significantly more days off from work than non-smokers, according to a Dec. 4 press release from the Office for Prevention and Health Services Assessment at Brooks Air Force Base in Texas.The study of 88,000 men and women on active duty in the U.S. Army also found that male smokers took more time off than women smokers. Participants in the study were monitored for more than two years.
In addition, the study indicated that smokers were admitted to the hospital more frequently than their non-smoking colleagues. Among the men, smoking increased the risk of being admitted to the hospital for causes other than injury by almost a third; for women, it was 25 percent.
"It is remarkable that a single risk factor could account for such a large proportion of hospitalizations and lost workdays, particularly over such a short period of observation," the researchers stated.
While previous employment research on smokers had focused on older populations, this study is the first to show adverse effects among young smokers.
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