Association between job satisfaction and current smoking and change in smoking behavior: a 16-year longitudinal study in South Korea

Background and Aims: Previous studies have found that job satisfaction is closely associated with various health outcomes of workers. Our study measured the association between job satisfaction and current smoking and change in smoking behavior. Design: Data from the longitudinal Korea Labor and Income Panel Study (KLIPS) that consist of nationally representative samples were used. The repeated measures analysis was conducted. Setting: South Korea, 2005–2021. Participants: In total, 21 154 workers in Korea followed from 2005 to 2021 (145 120 observations) were included as study participants. Measurements: The main predictor variable, job satisfaction, was assessed using a five-item general job satisfaction questionnaire. Job satisfaction was classified into ‘dissatisfied’, ‘neutral’ and ‘satisfied’, according to the tertiles of the sum of scores. The outcomes of interest were current smoking and initiation and cessation of smoking in the subsequent year. Findings: Compared with those with a neutral level of job satisfaction, those who reported dissatisfaction with their job had an increased risk of smoking initiation [odds ratio (OR) = 1.11, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.01–1.22)]. Workers satisfied with their jobs were associated with a decreased likelihood of current smoking (OR = 0.96, 95% CI = 0.94–0.98) and smoking initiation (OR = 0.90, 95% CI = 0.81–0.99). There was a positive relationship between cumulative years of job dissatisfaction and smoking risk: > 4 years of experiencing job dissatisfaction was positively related to current smoking (OR = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.06–1.24) and smoking initiation (OR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.00–1.49) and negatively related to smoking cessation (OR = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.72–0.99). Conclusions: In Korea, job dissatisfaction appears to be associated with an increased risk of smoking initiation.