CDC: Among adults, teachers smoke least

ATLANTA, Sept. 29 (UPI) -- Whether a U.S. adult smokes depends largely on what kind of work he or she does, with teachers smoking less than any other group, federal health officials said.

A report, published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Thursday, said there are wide disparities in smoking prevalence among U.S. adults classified by industry and occupation.

"By industry, smoking is lowest in the education services industry at 9.7 percent and highest in the mining and food services industries at 30 percent," the report said. "Similar results were found when looking at individuals' occupation. By occupation, smoking is lowest among adults with education, training and library jobs at 8.7 percent and highest among those in construction and extraction jobs at 31.4 percent."

Effective employer interventions include 100 percent smoke-free workplace policies, easily accessible help for those who want to quit and health insurance with little or no co-payment for cessation treatments, CDC officials said.

"These interventions are needed for all occupation and industries, particularly among those with the highest smoking rates," officials said. "Effective employer interventions are available to reduce smoking and can maximize employee health, decrease absenteeism and reduce utilization of healthcare resources."