Working Overtime Ups Risk of Smoking Addiction in Employees: Study

Too many hours at work make employees smoke more cigarettes, according to a study.

Past clinical researches hold socio-economic factors, educational background, mental health conditions, profession and family disturbances can influence an individual's smoking behavior. Researchers at Loughborough University discovered another reason that makes people overtly dependant on cigarettes. Their study involving 20,000 people enrolled in British Household Panel Survey recorded total working hours in a week and trends in cigarette consumption. It was observed workers who spent 40 to 60 hours at work in one week were less likely to give up the habit.

Employees smoked more number of cigarettes on days when they worked overtime. Cigarette smoking relieves stress and tension people experience at everyday work. It helps them unwind and relax but also increases their risk of becoming heavy smokers and cigarette addicts. Experts warn former smokers who managed to put an end to the habit are likely to relapse by slogging for hours at work.

"When smokers increase their hours above a typical 40 hour working week, the chances they will successfully give up smoking fall, and they become progressively less likely to give up as their working hours increase," said Andy Charlwood, study author and professor at the School of Business and Economics in Loughborough University, reports the News Reports. Com.

"Even if people like their jobs and choose to work long hours, we tend to experience more stress and less pleasure at work than we do when undertaking most other day-to-day activities," adds Charlwood, reports the Yahoo News.

Chronic tobacco and smoking addiction causes 90 percent of lung cancer deaths in men and women. Almost 80 percent of deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are a result of unrestrained smoking behaviors. The data by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention annual expenditure on smoking-related illnesses accounts for $289 billion.

The research is published online in the journal of Social Science and Medicine.