Is there still a social gradient in respiratory symptoms? A population-based nordic EpiLung-study

• Background: Respiratory symptoms are a common public health issue that can partly be attributed to preventable risk factors, such as tobacco smoking and occupational exposure, which are more common in individuals with lower socioeconomic status.Objective: Our aim was to evaluate the social gradient in respiratory symptoms in Nordic countries.Methods: This study included participants aged 30–65 years from five cross-sectional population-based questionnaire surveys in 2016 in Finland and Sweden (N = 25,423) and in 2017–2019 in Norway (N = 27,107). Occupational skill levels 1 and 2 (occupations requiring compulsory education) were combined and compared to skill levels 3 and 4 (occupations requiring upper secondary and tertiary education). Meta-analysis was conducted to obtain pooled age- and sex adjusted odds ratios (aORs) of associations between occupational skill and the respiratory symptoms including recurrent wheeze, dyspnoea, and productive cough.Results: In the meta-analysis, recurrent wheeze, dyspnoea, and productive cough showed a social gradient. The participants with occupational skill 1 and 2 had higher risk for recurrent wheeze (aOR 1.78, 95% CI 1.34–2.22) and dyspnoea (aOR 1.59, 95% CI 1.29–1.90) compared to occupational skill 3 and 4 in Sweden and Finland. Similarly increased risk was observed for combined assessment of dyspnoea and wheeze (aOR 1.05, 95% CI 1.03–1.07) in Norway. In a meta-analysis including all three countries, the aOR for productive cough was 1.31 95% CI 1.07–1.56.Conclusions: Occupations with lower, compared to higher, skill levels were associated with an increased risk of recurrent wheeze, dyspnoea, and productive cough.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Lungmedicin och allergi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Respiratory Medicine and Allergy (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Folkhälsovetenskap, global hälsa, socialmedicin och epidemiologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Arbetsmedicin och miljömedicin (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Occupational Health and Environmental Health (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Cough

Dyspnoea

Nordic region

Occupation

Respiratory symptom

Smoking

Social gradient

Socioeconomic status

Wheeze

Social gradient

Socioeconomic status

Occupation

Respiratory symptom

Smoking

Nordic region

Wheeze

Cough

Dyspnoea

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)