ABSTRACT
Objective@#To investigate the quality of life among patients with occupational pneumoconiosis in Jinhua City, Zhejiang Province, so as to provide insights into improving the quality of life among patients with occupational pneumoconiosis.@*Methods@#Patients with occupational pneumoconiosis in Jinhua City from 2009 to 2021 were retrieved from the National Occupational Disease and Health Risk Factors Monitoring Information System. Participants' demographics, diagnosis of pneumoconiosis, stage of pneumoconiosis, pulmonary function and medical expense were collected through questionnaire surveys, and the quality of life was measured using a Chinese version of the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). The quality of life was descriptively analyzed among patients with occupational pneumoconiosis by disease stage, pulmonary function, expense for disease diagnosis and treatment and educational level. @*Results@#A total of 244 patients with occupational pneumoconiosis were enrolled, including 225 men (92.21%). The participants had a mean age of (75.20±9.42) years, and mean duration from dust contact to pneumoconiosis onset of (13.11±9.89) years. The scores for physical functioning, role-physical, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, role-emotional, and mental health were (64.03±31.22), (45.14±44.22), (56.34±26.60), (40.80±19.80), (59.14±17.35), (68.41±19.67), (47.03±44.08) and (61.15±17.06) points among patients with occupational pneumoconiosis, which were all lower than the national constant (P<0.05). Lower scores were measured for physical functioning [(31.17±23.40) points], bodily pain [(45.21±19.50) points] and vitality [(47.00±20.70) points] among patients with stage Ⅲ occupational pneumoconiosis, for physical functioning [(32.27±24.24) points], role-physical [(12.88±30.70) points], bodily pain [(37.44±20.43) points], general health [(14.76±17.17) points], vitality [(38.79±19.33) points], social functioning [(53.33±17.08) points], role-emotional [(9.09±26.71) points], and mental health [(53.21±17.25) points] among occupational pneumoconiosis patients with severe pulmonary function damages, and for physical functioning [(30.97±27.40) points], bodily pain [(37.77±24.34) points], general health [(19.10±18.62) points], vitality [(38.39±23.78) points], social functioning [(55.89±21.00) points] and mental health [(55.35±20.35) points] among occupational pneumoconiosis patients that had personal payments for pneumoconiosis diagnosis and treatment expenses exceeding 30% of annual household incomes, while higher scores were measured for physical functioning [(66.36±17.33) points] and role-physical [(59.09±45.10) points] among occupational pneumoconiosis patients with an educational level of high school and above (all P<0.05). @*Conclusions @#The quality of life was low among occupational pneumoconiosis patients in Jinhua City from 2009 to 2021. Stage of pneumoconiosis, pulmonary function, medical expenses and educational level were identified as factors affecting the quality of life among occupational pneumoconiosis patients in Jinhua City.