Table 3.
Adjusted* OR (ORadj) for respiratory symptoms past 12 months, current use of asthma medication and ever physician-diagnosed asthma by current occupation (ISCO-88)†
| Major groups (ISCO-88 first digit) | Lower respiratory tract |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total N |
Wheezing ORadj |
Woken with dyspnoea ORadj |
Asthma attack ORadj |
Use of asthma medication ORadj |
At least one symptom last 12 months ORadj |
Physician-
diagnosed asthma ORadj |
|
| 1. Legislators, senior officials and managers and professionals and armed forces (Groups 0, I and II only)—Reference | 2204 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2. Technicians and associated professionals (Group III) | 3091 | 1.2 (1.0 to 1.3) | 0.95 (0.76 to 1.2) | 1.4 (1.1 to 1.9) | 1.2 (0.99 to 1.5) | 1.1 (0.99 to 1.3) | 0.95 (0.79 to 1.1) |
| 3. Clerks and Service workers and shop and market sales workers (Groups IV and V) | 2547 | 1.1 (0.95 to 1.3) | 1.0 (0.82 to 1.3) | 1.3 (0.95 to 1.8) | 1.0 (0.82 to 1.3) | 1.1 (0.93 to 1.2) | 0.89 (0.74 to 1.1) |
| 4. Skilled agriculture and fishery workers and craft and related trade workers (Groups VI and VII) | 1467 | 1.3 (1.1 to 1.6) | 1.2 (0.91 to 1.6) | 1.9 (1.2 to 2.8) | 1.1 (0.83 to 1.6) | 1.2 (1.0 to 1.5) | 0.80 (0.62 to 1.0) |
| 5. Plant and machine operators and assemblers and Elementary occupations(Groups VIII and IX) | 1294 | 1.2 (1.0 to 1.5) | 1.2 (0.90 to 1.6) | 1.1 (0.73 to 1.7) | 1.1 (0.81 to 1.5) | 1.2 (1.0 to 1.5) | 0.80 (0.63 to 1.0) |
| Specific occupations (ISCO-88 four digits) | |||||||
| Legislators, senior officials, managers, professionals and armed forces (Groups 0, I and II only)—Reference | 2204 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Healthcare professionals | |||||||
| Health-associated professionals not classified elsewhere (3229) | 630 | 1.4 (1.1 to 1.7) | 1.2 (0.82 to 1.8) | 1.4 (0.87 to 2.4) | 2.1 (1.5 to 3.1) | 1.4 (1.1 to 1.7) | 0.79 (0.56 to 1.1) |
| Nursing (3230–3232) | 435 | 1.2 (0.86 to 1.5) | 0.79 (0.49 to 1.3) | 1.2 (0.68 to 2.1) | 0.78 (0.48 to 1.3) | 1.0 (0.77 to 1.4) | 0.87 (0.60 to 1.2) |
| Cooks (5122) | 168 | 1.4 (0.90 to 2.1) | 1.2 (0.65 to 2.1) | 1.5 (0.65 to 3.3) | 1.2 (0.57 to 2.5) | 1.3 (0.84 to 1.9) | 0.91 (0.54 to 1.5) |
| Waiters, waitresses and bartenders (5123) | 163 | 1.1 (0.75 to 1.7) | 1.5 (0.84 to 2.7) | 1.8 (0.89 to 3.7) | 1.3 (0.67 to 2.4) | 1.4 (0.93 to 2.0) | 1.3 (0.81 to 2.1) |
| Hairdressers (5141) | 81 | 1.5 (0.82 to 2.6) | 0.96 (0.34 to 2.7) | 1.8 (0.57 to 5.8) | 0.94 (0.29 to 3.1) | 1.5 (0.85 to 2.5) | 0.82 (0.37 to 1.8) |
| Shops salesperson (5220) | 1084 | 1.1 (0.86 to 1.3) | 1.0 (0.73 to 1.4) | 1.2 (0.77 to 1.9) | 1.1 (0.81 to 1.6) | 1.1 (0.87 to 1.3) | 0.78 (0.60 to 1.0) |
| Gardeners (6113) | 47 | 0.88 (0.37 to 2.1) | 1.4 (0.42 to 4.8) | 1.2 (0.16 to 9.2) | 0.94 (0.20 to 4.4) | 0.95 (0.43 to 2.1) | 0.72 (0.24 to 2.2) |
| Carpenters and jointers (7124) | 178 | 1.3 (0.87 to 2.0) | 1.0 (0.52 to 2.1) | 1.7 (0.60 to 4.5) | 0.82 (0.35 to 1.9) | 1.3 (0.84 to 1.9) | 0.79 (0.43 to 1.4) |
| Building workers (7120–7123, 7129, 7133, 9313) | 213 | 0.71 (0.45 to 1.1) | 0.94 (0.49 to 1.8) | 0.60 (0.19 to 1.9) | 0.45 (0.19 to 1.1) | 0.73 (0.48 to 1.1) | 0.39 (0.21 to 0.73) |
| Electricians (7137, 7241, 7245) | 203 | 1.5 (0.97 to 2.2) | 1.4 (0.74 to 2.6) | 1.5 (0.63 to 3.5) | 0.89 (0.44 to 1.8) | 1.3 (0.90 to 1.9) | 0.69 (0.41 to 1.2) |
| Welders (7212) | 35 | 1.7 (0.79 to 3.8) | 5.5 (2.1 to 14) | 0.60 (0.072 to 5.0) | 1.3 (0.44 to 3.9) | 1.9 (0.86 to 4.1) | 0.66 (0.23 to 2.0) |
| Sheet metal workers (7213) | 38 | 1.6 (0.73 to 3.6) | 0.76 (0.15 to 3.9) | 1.1 (0.14 to 9.4) | 1.3 (0.39 to 4.2) | 1.4 (0.63 to 2.9) | 0.38 (0.091 to 1.6) |
| Machinery mechanics (7230–7233) | 255 | 1.2 (0.82 to 1.7) | 0.54 (0.27 to 1.1) | 1.0 (0.47 to 2.4) | 0.70 (0.36 to 1.3) | 1.1 (0.76 to 1.5) | 0.63 (0.39 to 1.0) |
| Motor vehicle drivers (8320–8324) | 205 | 1.2 (0.81 to 1.7) | 1.2 (0.66 to 2.0) | 0.62 (0.21 to 1.8) | 1.1 (0.61 to 1.9) | 1.2 (0.85 to 1.7) | 0.66 (0.39 to 1.1) |
| Cleaners (9131, 9132) | 185 | 0.76 (0.47 to 1.2) | 0.63 (0.27 to 1.4) | 1.4 (0.61 to 3.2) | 1.6 (0.80 to 3.1) | 0.90 (0.58 to 1.4) | 0.92 (0.51 to 1.6) |
| Agricultural labour (9211) | 53 | 1.3 (0.58 to 2.9) | 0.28 (0.038 to 2.1) | 1.2 (0.28 to 5.2) | 0.24 (0.032 to 1.8) | 1.0 (0.45 to 2.3) | 1.1 (0.46 to 2.7) |
Results reaching significance, p<0.05, are marked in bold.
*Adjusted for age, gender, area of residence, smoking, passive smoking, housing conditions, damp and mould at home and nasal allergy.
†Self-reported occupation categorised by the researchers using ISCO-88.
ISCO-88, International Standard Classification of Occupations.