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Vaping in the Workplace: Prevalence and Attitudes Among Employed US Adults

Research Summary:

Objective:

Describe workplace vaping, prevalence of observed use, attitudes and perceptions among U.S. adults.

Methods:

Employees of companies with >150 employees, drawn from an opt-in national online panel (N=1607), ages 18–65, completed an online survey in November 2019.

Results:

Majority (61.6%) observed coworkers vaping at work and 19.1% reported vaping at work themselves. Participants perceived workplace vaping as moderately harmful (M = 1.9 out of 3), 63.2% were bothered by workplace vaping and 52.1% thought it decreased workplace productivity among non-users. Multiple regression models found workplace vaping prevalence varied by industry and participant characteristics, and attitudes about it varied by tobacco use status.

Conclusions:

Workplace vaping and vaping exposure is common in U.S. workplaces. Employees, particularly non-users, hold generally negative perceptions of workplace vaping. Comprehensive policies to prevent workplace vaping are needed to protect workers.

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