By By Sarah Lavers, News Correspondent

Cash is proving to be an effective incentive for those trying to quit smoking, a new study has shown.
Some employers may use this as a way to encourage their workers to stop in order to reduce long term health-care costs and time theft, essentially saving the company future expenses by paying their workers now.
A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that those offered this incentive were almost three times more likely to stop smoking and never have another cigarette than those who were not.
Smoking accounts for 440,000 deaths a year, according to the American Heart Association, and cause many long-term health problems. Many of these are covered by various company health care plans and money comes out of the employer’s pocket. By preempting these problems and encouraging their workers to quit now, employers could save money even if cash incentives were offered
‘In this study of employees of one large company,’ reads the New England Journal of Medicine article, ‘financial incentives for smoking cessation significantly increased the rates of smoking cessation.’
Those who completed the smoking cessation program were given $100 and, in order to motivate them to continue this healthy habit, were granted $250 after 6 months and $400 after a year of abstinence from cigarettes.
General Electric had 878 employees participate in the study, with 436 enrolled in a smoking-cessation program including financial incentives, and the other 442 in programs without any incentive. The results showed that 14.7 percent of those who received money had successfully quit smoking while only 5 percent of those who did not were able to put the cigarettes down. ‘ ‘
Many employers offer comprehensive smoking cessation programs but few are offering financial incentives, according to the National Business Group on Health. Northeastern does not offer its employees cash incentives. However, there are smoking cessation programs available through the university’s Blue Cross Blue Shield medical plan, according to Northeastern’s human resources website. The plan’s ‘Living Healthy Smoke Free’ program covers certain nicotine replacement products and offers a toll-free help line for those looking for help trying to quit, according to Blue Cross Blue Shield’s website.
A majority of companies also reported that time theft, specifically among smokers, is a concern. Employers lose money when their workers are getting paid to take a five minute breaks multiple times a day and 85 percent reported that it would be more cost-effective for the company if their employees did not smoke, according to the National Business Group on Health.
Sophomore international affairs’ major Taylor Apgar admitted that he would often sneak out of work to take a few drags. He said he also had a financial incentive to quit ‘- lack of money.
‘Cigarettes are so expensive,’ Apgar said. ‘I started running out of money.’
Co-op adviser and professor William Hyndman III said that in his experience, most employers allow students to have a smoke break, while adding that taking one too frequently may look bad. Additionally, Hyndman suggests that smokers interviewing for a co-op or other job should avoid smelling of smoke.
‘Those who go to interviews and smell of smoke may have issues,’ Hyndman said. ‘I think there are employers who would be turned off by what some call ‘third-hand smoke.”