title: Low socio-economic status, smoking, mental stress and obesity predict obstructive symptoms in women, but only smoking also predicts subsequent experience of poor health.
abstract: This study was conducted among female subjects to assess the possible association between selected risk factors and lung function as well as airway symptoms in a 32-year perspective. The Prospective Population Study of Women was initiated in 1968-1969 in Göteborg, Sweden (population about 450,000) with follow-ups in 1974-1975, 1980-1981, 1992-1993 and 2000-2001. Women born in 1930, representative of women of the same age in the general population in 1968, were selected. Initially, 372 participants were included in the cohort. In 2000-2001, 231 of these women (73%), now 70 years old, underwent lung function tests. The main outcome measures were lung function values, airway symptoms and health outcome in 2000-2001 in relation to self-reported exposures in 1968-1969 including smoking status. Smoking in 1968-1969 was associated with self-reported chronic bronchitis, obstructive symptoms and poor health 32 years later as well as lower lung function values, compared to non-smokers. Obesity, low socio-economic status and self-reported mental stress in 1968-1969 were associated with obstructive symptoms 32 years later. There are only a few longitudinal studies concerning women's health problems in this field and epidemiological studies of lung function impairment in women and risk factors in a long-term perspective are scarce. The results of the study suggest that life-style factors such as mental stress, obesity and smoking among women are related to airway symptoms and also quality of life many years later.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Community Medicine/Primary Health Care, The Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University, SE-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden. jorgen.thorn@allmed.gu.se
authors.forename: Jörgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Thorn
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Björkelund
authors.forename: Calle
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bengtsson
authors.forename: Xinxin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lissner
authors.forename: Valter
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sundh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000209:etiology*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications*