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Association between vigorous-intensity work activities and cough or expectoration symptoms in individuals with mild to moderate COPD: a cross-sectional study using the NHANES database.

Created on 23 Jul 2026

Authors

Xuequn Guo, Qiu Luo, Dongdong Chen, Hongsheng Lin

Published in

Respiratory medicine. Volume 261. Pages 109055. Jul 22, 2026. Epub Jul 22, 2026.

Abstract

Structured exercise alleviates respiratory symptoms in COPD, but the effects of occupational physical activity on cough or expectoration in mild-to-moderate COPD remain unclear.
This cross-sectional study used NHANES 2007-2012 data. Mild-to-moderate COPD was defined as post-bronchodilator FEV1/FVC <0.70 and FEV1 ≥ 50% predicted. Vigorous-intensity work was self-reported. The primary outcome was cough or expectoration (either symptom for ≥3 months/year). Survey-weighted logistic regression and restricted cubic splines examined associations, adjusting for age, gender, BMI, race, education, income, smoking, passive smoking, exercise, sleep disorders, moderate work activity, asthma, and hypertension (Model-4).
Among 723 participants with mild-to-moderate COPD, 115 reported symptoms. After full adjustment, vigorous-intensity work was associated with higher odds of cough or expectoration (OR = 2.43, 95% CI: 1.41-4.22, P = 0.002). Similar associations were observed for cough (OR = 3.13) and expectoration (OR = 2.77), but not for wheezing or dyspnea. RCS curves confirmed a dose-response relationship between longer vigorous work duration and increased symptoms.
In mild-to-moderate COPD, self-reported vigorous-intensity work is associated with cough or expectoration symptoms, with longer exposure linked to greater likelihood.

PMID:
42485676
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 23 Jul 2026.

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