Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40046316›Full record

ArticleRheumatology advances in practice2025

Occupational history questionnaire for job coding and exposure assessment in systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases.

Anne-Catherine Dens, Hannelore Celen, Stijn Michiels, Michaël Doumen, Sofia Pazmino, Lode Godderis, Patrick Verschueren, Hans Kromhout, Steven Ronsmans, Ellen De Langhe

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Rheumatology advances in practice, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

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No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Anne-Catherine DensDepartment of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0448-0227
Hannelore CelenDepartment of Rheumatology, AZ Herentals General Hospital, Herentals, Belgium.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4083-139X
Stijn MichielsDepartment of Rheumatology, Imelda General Hospital, Bonheiden, Belgium.
Michaël DoumenDepartment of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6073-7635
Sofia PazminoDepartment of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8579-6914
Lode GodderisDepartment of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4764-8835
Patrick VerschuerenDepartment of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0340-3580
Hans KromhoutInstitute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4233-1890
Steven RonsmansDepartment of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6767-2691
Ellen De LangheDepartment of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4045-2146

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objectives: Systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARDs) develop in genetically susceptible individuals when exposed to environmental factors such as respirable crystalline silica (RCS) particles. Assessing occupational exposure in population-based studies is critical but resource intensive, often requiring expert interviews. This study aimed to develop and validate a self-administered occupational history questionnaire that allows for International Standard Classification of Occupations 1968 (ISCO-68) coding and exposure assessment as a cost-effective alternative to traditional interviews. Methods: Seventy RA patients participated by completing a standardized telephone interview and the newly developed self-administered questionnaire. Participants were also asked to recruit two gender- and age-matched family members for comparison. Independent observers assigned ISCO-68 codes to the reported jobs and a job exposure matrix was used to link each job to RCS exposure. Agreement between the interview and questionnaire was assessed by comparing reported working years, ISCO-68 job codes and RCS exposure. Cohen's κ and intraclass correlation were calculated to evaluate agreement and interobserver variability. Results: The patient response rate was 77%, but family member controls had a low response rate (6.45%), likely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Agreement for reported working years was 91%, with a Cohen's κ of 0.87 for ever/never RCS exposure. Manual ISCO coding introduced variability, but interobserver reliability remained high (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.91). Conclusion: The self-administered occupational history questionnaire provides a valid, cost-effective and time-efficient alternative to telephone interviews for assessing occupational history and estimating RCS exposure in epidemiological research. Future studies should explore automated coding systems and improved strategies for control recruitment.

Indexed as

exposure assessmentjob codingoccupational historyrespirable crystalline silica

Identifiers

PMID40046316
PMCPMC11882302

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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.