Objective To investigate the current status of disease perception of patients with occupational pneumoconiosis, analyze the influencing factors, and improve patients' self-care awareness and skills, thereby enhancing their quality of life and prognosis.

Methods A total of 240 patients with occupational pneumoconiosis hospitalized in a designated occupational disease hospital in Guangzhou from June 2022 to June 2023 by the convenience sampling method were surveyed with self-designed questionnaires related to general information, the Modified British Medical Research Council Dyspnea Scale (mMRC), and the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ). A generalized linear model was established to analyze the influencing factors of disease perception of these patients.

Results The overall average score of disease perception of occupational pneumoconiosis patients was (47.48 ±11.23). Compared to the norm, their total disease perception score and scores in the cognitive and emotional dimensions were higher, while their understanding dimension scores were lower. The generalized linear model analysis showed that compared to patients without dyspnea, those with dyspnea levels 1 to 4 had higher total disease perception scores (β = 1.66 to 2.79, all P < 0.05). Compared to patients in the first stage, those in the second (β = 4.41) and third stages (β = 3.38) had higher total disease perception scores (both P < 0.05). Compared to patients with normal diffusion function, those with limited diffusion function had higher total disease perception scores (β = 0.98 to 3.26, P < 0.05). Compared to patients with normal small airway function, those with limited small airway function had higher total disease perception scores (β = 1.45 to 1.96, all P < 0.05). In general, the influencing factors of scores in various dimensions were as follows: the higher the degree of dyspnea, the stage of pneumoconiosis, the duration of illness, and the degree of small airway limitation, the higher the cognitive dimension scores (β = 1.79 to 14.57, all P < 0.05). The higher the degree of dyspnea, disease stage, and degree of diffusion limitation, the higher the emotional dimension scores (β = 0.98 to 4.41, all P < 0.05). The longer the duration of illness, the greater the diffusion limitation, and the older the age, the lower the understanding dimension scores (β = -1.70 to -0.87, all P < 0.05).

Conclusions The disease perception status of patients with occupational pneumoconiosis was at a high level, possibly due to the combined effects of physical discomfort caused by dyspnea and lung function impairment, decreased quality of life, and negative emotions. Special attention should be given to patients with poor lung function, long disease duration, and low education levels. Targeted interventions should be provided to improve patients' correct understanding of the disease, reduce their fear of the disease, and promote recovery.