According to news results in the San Francisco Bay Area, only 30% are non-smokers. These non-smokers are able to find employment after graduation. Why is this significant? According to the Business Insider, smoking harms not only physical health but possibly the financial well-being of the individual, too.
Lead Author Judith Prochaska, Stanford Prevention Research Center in California, explains that the harmful effects of smoking to a person's health has been known for more than fifty years. Recently she told Reuters about new evidence that has been brought to light. That smoking can also hurt a person's success in career life and even lower the income. But the sample in San Francisco is isolated since smoking is uncommon because of smoke-free workplace laws. That doesn't mean the findings in the article apply to all states.
There is now a clear link between smoking and being unemployed. While the study has not figured which came first, what is known is that there is a relationship between the two.
"One thing we found that suggests an answer was that smokers in our sample tended to place a greater prioritization with regard to their discretionary spending on cigarettes than on aspects that would aid in their job-search, such as costs for transportation, mobile phone, new clothing, and grooming care," says Prochaska .
In the sample group, Prochaska also found that smokers have taken more sick days at work and are more distracted at work compared to the non-smokers. Whatever the result, it is clear that smoking is not a good habit to bring when it comes to being a productive worker. Not smoking can be good for one's health, whether employed or not.
Now, Prochaska is looking at launching a controlled trial test to see if a program that helps smokers quit the habit can also help with reemployment.
