Heavy and Light/Moderate Smoking Among Building Trades Construction Workers

Objective The purpose of the study was to identify the correlates of heavy smoking (defined as more than one pack of cigarettes per day) in building trades construction workers. Design and Sample This study used cross-sectional data from the MassBUILT smoking cessation intervention study at Massachusetts building trades unions with the sample of 763 smokers. Measures Data collected included information about smoking behavior, individual, psychological, interpersonal, and occupational factors obtained through self-reported questionnaires. Results Approximately 21% of smokers were heavy smokers. Significant factors related to heavy smoking were: older age (OR = 1.10; 95% CI: 1.06–1.14), male gender (OR = 4.55; 95% CI: 1.62–12.79), smoking the first cigarette of the day within 30 min of waking (OR = 4.62; 95% CI: 2.81–7.59), smoking initiation at earlier age (OR = 0.93; 95% CI: 0.87–1.00), higher temptation to smoke (OR = 1.55; 95% CI: 1.17–2.05), household smoking (OR = 1.90; 95% CI: 1.18–3.06) or living alone (OR = 4.11; 95% CI: 1.70–9.92), and exposure to chemicals at work (OR = 1.61; 95% CI: 1.06–2.53). Conclusion Addressing the influence of these factors on heavy smoking could lead to the development of targeted, multiple components in comprehensive cessation strategies for blue-collar smokers.