OBJECTIVETo investigate the health status and intention of quitting smoking in factory workers, so as to provide scientific evidence for smoking control.

METHODSA cross-sectional survey was carried out on smoking behavior, self-reported health status (SRHS), and intention of quitting smoking in 668 Guangzhou factory workers with different job types. Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) was used on current smokers. Logistic regression model was used to analyze the association of SRHS, difficulty of quitting smoking (DQS) with some risk factors.

RESULTS(1) 65.0% (n = 348) male and 3.0% (n = 4) female workers were ever-smokers. 90.6% of male smokers usually smoked when getting together with friends or smokers, staying at home, or at leisure time, or just after a meal. (2) 10.7% of the daily smokers and ex-smokers had a worse SRHS than the general same-age people, which is significantly higher than 5.1% of the occasional smokers and those who were never smoking. The OR was 2.22 (95% CI 1.08 approximately 4.59) after adjusting age and education. (3) Of male daily smokers, 50.5% ever thought of quitting smoking. The proportions of ever-thought of quitting smoking were 73.3%, 50.0% and 37.2% respectively in those with better, pretty the same and worse SRHS than the general same-age people (P = 0.009). The proportions of DQS self-scored 30 or less, 31 to 60 and 60 or more were 26.9%, 24.9% and 48.2% respectively in male daily smokers. The OR for DQS (self-scored > 30 vs < or =30) increased with increasing number of colleague smoked and worked around, and with nicotine dependence.

CONCLUSIONDaily smokers and former smokers have worse SRHS than those who are occasional smokers or never smokers in male workers, and most of those with worse SRHS who ever thought of quitting smoking. The DQS is mainly significantly associated with number of colleague smoking and working around, and with nicotine dependence.