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

Sandberg, Jacob LU orcid ; Olsson, Max LU orcid ; Chang, Sungwon ; Kochovska, Slavica ; McCaffrey, Nikki ; Clark, Joseph ; Ekström, Magnus LU orcid and Currow, David (2026) In BMC Public Health 26(1).
Abstract

BACKGROUND: Loss 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.

METHODS: Cross-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... (More)

BACKGROUND: Loss 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.

METHODS: Cross-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.

RESULTS: Eight 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).

CONCLUSION: Breathlessness 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.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Humans, Middle Aged, Adult, Dyspnea/epidemiology, Female, Unemployment/statistics & numerical data, Cross-Sectional Studies, Male, Adolescent, Young Adult, Australia/epidemiology, Employment/statistics & numerical data, Aged
in
BMC Public Health
volume
26
issue
1
article number
2356
publisher
BioMed Central (BMC)
external identifiers
  • pmid:42595990
  • scopus:105047325670
ISSN
1471-2458
DOI
10.1186/s12889-026-28996-5
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
628cb83c-d992-4616-8d0b-2337668663e3
date added to LUP
2026-08-17 09:10:33
date last changed
2026-09-17 16:22:05
@article{628cb83c-d992-4616-8d0b-2337668663e3,
  abstract     = {{<p>BACKGROUND: Loss 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.</p><p>METHODS: Cross-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.</p><p>RESULTS: Eight 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).</p><p>CONCLUSION: Breathlessness 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.</p>}},
  author       = {{Sandberg, Jacob and Olsson, Max and Chang, Sungwon and Kochovska, Slavica and McCaffrey, Nikki and Clark, Joseph and Ekström, Magnus and Currow, David}},
  issn         = {{1471-2458}},
  keywords     = {{Humans; Middle Aged; Adult; Dyspnea/epidemiology; Female; Unemployment/statistics & numerical data; Cross-Sectional Studies; Male; Adolescent; Young Adult; Australia/epidemiology; Employment/statistics & numerical data; Aged}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{08}},
  number       = {{1}},
  publisher    = {{BioMed Central (BMC)}},
  series       = {{BMC Public Health}},
  title        = {{Breathlessness limiting exertion and under- and unemployment : results from a national, online population survey}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12889-026-28996-5}},
  doi          = {{10.1186/s12889-026-28996-5}},
  volume       = {{26}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}