Indicator Report - Secondhand Smoke Exposure in the Workplace
Why Is This Important?
"Secondhand smoke exposure causes heart disease and lung cancer. In fact, the risk to nonsmokers for heart disease increases
by 25%-30% and for lung cancer by 20%-30%. There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke, and exposure for even a
short duration is harmful to health." - North Carolina Institute of Medicine. Healthy North Carolina 2020: A Better State
of Health.
Percentage of People Exposed to Secondhand Smoke in the Workplace in the Past Seven Days North Carolina vs. HNC 2020 Target,
2008-2010 (Even Years)
Data Notes
This measure is based on data from the North Carolina Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (NC BRFSS), a random-digit
dial telephone survey. BRFSS data are representative of the total non-institutionalized N.C. population aged 18 years and
older living in households with a telephone. The secondhand smoke module is specific to North Carolina; national data may
not be available every year.
The HNC 2020 target, which is the target to be reached by 2020, is repeated in the data table for graphing purposes.
Data Sources
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, State Center for Health Statistics
Workplace secondhand smoke exposure estimates are based on self-reported responses to the question: "On how many of the past
seven days, did anyone smoke in your indoor workplace while you were there?" This question is only asked of respondents who
are employed for wages or self-employed and those who report working indoors most of the time.
How We Calculated the Rates
Numerator:
Number of adults aged 18 years and older who report that they were exposed to secondhand smoke on one or more days in the
seven days before the survey
Denominator:
Number of adults aged 18 years and older responding to the BRFSS survey who are employed for wages or self-employed and those
who report working indoors most of the time
Page Content Updated On 01/20/2012,
Published on 01/20/2012
State Center for Health Statistics, N.C. Division of Public Health, Telephone: 919-733-4728, Fax: 919-733-8485
The information published on this
website may be reproduced without permission. Please use the following
citation: Retrieved Sat, 18 May 2013 9:12:07
from the HealthStats website.
