The negative health effects of smoking are widely known, it increases the risk of various cancers, respiratory problems and cardiovascular diseases. In 2019, approximately 14 percent of all deaths were attributed to smoking and even though the percentage of smokers has declined significantly since the 1990sin 2019, 18% of people in high-income countries still smoked. women and 27 percent men.
As we are now finding out, smoking is also associated with less success in the labor marketprobably due to its negative impact on productivity, especially in occupations requiring physical fitness, as it reduces physical capacity and efficiency. The stigma of smoking can also lead to prejudice and discrimination against smokers.
Smoking and professional success. That’s surprising
The researchers used data from the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study, a long-term analysis of 3,596 participants from urban and rural areas in five Finnish university regions born between 1962 and 1977. These data were linked to labor market outcomes from Statistics Finland and family background information from the Longitudinal Population Census using personal identifiers. The follow-up period, beginning in 2001, included people aged 24 to 39.
Smoking was assessed using a measure called “pack-years,” a conventional measure of risk of developing tobacco-smoke-related diseases used in medicine.. Pack-years are calculated by multiplying the number of packs of cigarettes smoked per day by the years of addiction, so 1 pack-year means smoking one pack of cigarettes (20 pieces) a day for one year, and smoking 40 cigarettes (2 packs) a day in one year means 2 pack-years.
It’s better to quit the addiction right away. For health and money
Scientists have discovered that an increase of one unit per pack-year was associated with a decrease in earnings by 1.8%. This suggests that reducing smoking by the equivalent of five pack-years could result in a 9% increase in earnings. Moreover, the study showed that an increase of one unit of pack-years resulted in a 0.5% decrease in the number of years of employment.
Test also revealed significant differences in earnings between smokers and non-smokers, especially among younger workers with the lowest level of education. Such differences did not exist among older workers, suggesting that smoking in younger generations, where it is less common, may have a more serious impact on labor market prospects. The researchers also noted that the negative relationship between pack-years and employment in the group of less educated people occurs only among current smokers and this trend was not observed among people who quit smoking.
Smoking in early adulthood is closely linked to long-term earnings and employment, with less educated people experiencing the most serious consequences. These results highlight the need for policies that address the hidden economic costs of smoking and promote healthier behaviors
Source: geekweek.interia.pl
