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23 Jul 2014

Smoking linked to working hours, according to Loughborough research

People who work long hours find it harder to quit smoking, and those who have given up are more at risk of starting again, according to Loughborough University research.

The study also suggests that more people are likely to start smoking if the Government ever secures an opt-out from the European Working Time Directive.

Academics found direct links between the hours worked and the number of cigarettes smoked, revealing that people who work longer smoke more.

It found a smoker who increases their working week from 40 to 60-plus hours is less than half as likely to quit smoking as someone who stays on a 40-hour week.

The study, Working time and cigarette smoking: evidence from Australia and the United Kingdom, was led in the UK by Professor Andy Charlwood from Loughborough University’s School of Business and Economics.

Read the full press release.