ArticleEuropean journal of public health2025
Relationship between symptoms, sociodemographic factors, and general practice help-seeking in 10 904 adults aged 50 and over.
Article in European journal of public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Gender Oncology: Rethinking Cancer Through a Sex- and Gender-Based Lens.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Unveiling the hidden burden: estimating the proportion of undiagnosed depression, hypertension and diabetes - a modelling study using survey data from adults in England, 2011-2019.BMJ public health · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Symptoms are a common reason for contact with primary care. This study investigated associations between symptom-related, demographic, social, and economic factors on general practice (GP) help-seeking. Secondary analysis of responses to a 25-symptom questionnaire, from 10 904 adults aged ≥50 years reporting at least one symptom in the preceding year. Cluster analysis and univariable and multivariable logistic regressions explored associations between self-reported GP help-seeking, symptom-related factors, and respondent characteristics. Most respondents, 7638 (70%), reported more than one symptom in the preceding year. Ten symptom clusters were identified. Most included common symptoms like headache and back or joint pain. There were increased odds of help-seeking in females, those with poorer health status and those unable to work due to illness/disability when multiple symptoms were reported, but not when single symptoms were reported. Age and sex had variable effects on help-seeking, depending on the symptom. Reporting poorer health status, more comorbidities, and being unable to work due to illness or disability increased odds of help-seeking across a diverse variety of symptoms. Single people and those reporting lower social contact had lower odds of help-seeking for some symptoms. Being a current smoker reduced odds of help-seeking for persistent indigestion/heartburn, persistent cough, coughing up phlegm, and shortness of breath. Factors associated with self-reported help-seeking vary for different symptoms. Poorer health and adverse economic and social factors are associated with increased GP help-seeking. These wider determinants of health interact with symptom experiences and will influence GP workload.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.