Introduction

• Besides the adverse physical health effects of secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS) exposure, not much is known about its behavioural outcomes.

• SHS exposure is a source of involuntary nicotine exposure with potential behavioural consequences in smokers and nonsmokers alike.

• Hospitality workers are a population at high risk for health problems related to occupational SHS exposure.

• This study explores self-reported behavioural symptoms commonly associated with nicotine withdrawal among smoking and nonsmoking bar and restaurant workers exposed to SHS.

Methods • This is a cross-sectional analysis of existing data obtained from a larger study examining the effect of SHS exposure on respiratory symptoms among bar and restaurant workers.

• Responses from the sample of 105 smoking and nonsmoking bar and restaurant workers recruited for the original study were assessed for the secondary analysis.

Measures

• Number of sources of SHS exposure (car, home, work, second job, other)

• Hair nicotine analysis using the reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection (HPLC-ECD) method

• Number of cigarettes smoked per day among smokers

• Perceived difficulty quitting when exposed to a smoky environment: To what extent does being in a smoky environment make it difficult for you to quit using tobacco or to stay quit”

• Behavioural symptoms of SHS exposure (adapted from the DSM-IV criteria for Nicotine withdrawal): ‘After you have been in a smoky environment, have you ever had the following: depressed mood, trouble sleeping, feeling irritable, feeling anxious, trouble concentrating, feeling restless, increased appetite, and weight gain?’

• Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND)