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Updated: Aug 6, 2026
Home-Based Prescribed Pulmonary Exercise in Patients with Stable Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Published on: August 24, 2019
Association between vigorous-intensity work activities and cough or expectoration symptoms in individuals with mild
Xuequn Guo1, Qiu Luo2, Dongdong Chen1
1Department of Respiratory Medicine, Quanzhou First Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou, Fujian, 362000, China.
Background:
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.
Method:
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).
Result:
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.
Conclusions:
In mild-to-moderate COPD, self-reported vigorous-intensity work is associated with cough or expectoration symptoms, with longer exposure linked to greater likelihood.
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