Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42595990›Full record

ArticleBMC public health2026

Breathlessness limiting exertion and under- and unemployment: results from a national, online population survey.

Jacob Sandberg, Max Olsson, Sungwon Chang, Slavica Kochovska, Nikki McCaffrey, Joseph Clark, Magnus Ekström, David Currow

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PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC public health, 2026. 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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0citing papers 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

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Jacob Sandberg *Department of Health, Blekinge Institute of Technology, Karlskrona, Sweden. jacob.sandberg@bth.se.ORCID 0000-0003-1863-2033
Max Olsson *Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Respiratory Medicine, Allergology and Palliative Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
Sungwon ChangFaculty of Health, IMPACCT, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Slavica KochovskaCollege of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Bedford Park, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Nikki McCaffreyDeakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia.
Joseph ClarkWolfson Palliative Care Research Centre, Hull York Medical School, University of Hull, Hull, UK.
Magnus EkströmFaculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Respiratory Medicine, Allergology and Palliative Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
David CurrowCollege of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Bedford Park, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLoss of, or unwanted changes in employment reduces economic wellbeing and is associated with lower quality of life. People living with chronic breathlessness are less likely to participate in the workforce. The influence of breathlessness on change in employment status is unknown. This study investigates associations between self-reported breathlessness limiting exertion (hereafter breathlessness) and changes in employment status.

methodsCross-sectional, online population survey of individuals aged 18-65 years old from Australia. Current and change of employment status, and breathlessness (assessed using modified Medical Research Council [mMRC] ≥ 1) were analysed using multivariate logistic regression to establish odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI), adjusted for possible confounding effects.

resultsEight thousand people were included; 5,730 (72%) were employed and 43% reported breathlessness. Breathlessness was associated with a change from full-time employment to another employment status: mMRC1 OR: mMRC1 OR: 6.60 (3.4-13.7); mMRC2 OR: 15.7 (7.7-34.2); and mMRC3-4 OR: 31.9 (13.8-75.4); and with being unemployed: mMRC1 OR: 1.20 (1.05-1.4); mMRC2 OR: 1.57 (1.3-1.9); and mMRC3-4 OR: 1.59 (1.1-2.3).

conclusionBreathlessness is associated with lower rates of employment and a higher probability of reducing work hours or becoming unemployed. The presence of chronic breathlessness should lead health professionals to explore the employment (and financial) consequences for the person.

Indexed as

DyspneaEmploymentUnemploymentAdolescentAdultAgedAustraliaCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedYoung AdultBreathlessnessCross-sectional surveyEmploymentFinancesFinancial well-being

Identifiers

PMID42595990
PMCPMC13474475

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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.