Smoking, Work Stress, and Barriers to Participation in HMO Smoking Cessation Treatment Among Transit Workers: Focus Group Results

Elevated smoking prevalence among transit workers suggests that cessation services may not be appropriately tailored to this occupational group, resulting in treatment underutilization. The authors conducted 11 focus groups with employees (N = 71) at a transit agency based in Oakland, California, to explore workers' views and experiences regarding perceived barriers to participation in health maintenance organization smoking cessation treatment. Key themes that emerged from content analysis of the focus group transcripts included smoking for perceived immediate relief from work stress, concerns about pharmacotherapy side effects, and structural barriers to treatment such as work shift schedules. This information can be used to tailor interventions aimed at effective tobacco cessation efforts with this workforce.