RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Employment status and the risk of pregnancy complications: the Generation R Study
JF Occupational and Environmental Medicine
JO Occup Environ Med
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP 387
OP 394
DO 10.1136/oem.2009.046300
VO 67
IS 6
A1 Pauline W Jansen
A1 Henning Tiemeier
A1 Frank C Verhulst
A1 Alex Burdorf
A1 Vincent W V Jaddoe
A1 Albert Hofman
A1 Henriëtte A Moll
A1 Bero O Verburg
A1 Eric A P Steegers
A1 Johan P Mackenbach
A1 Hein Raat
YR 2010
UL http://oem.bmj.com/content/67/6/387.abstract
AB Objectives This study explored the relationships of employment status, type of unemployment and number of weekly working hours, with a wide range of pregnancy outcomes.Methods Information on employment characteristics and pregnancy outcomes was available for 6111 pregnant women enrolled in a population-based cohort study in the Netherlands.Results After adjustment for confounders, there were no statistically significant differences in risks of pregnancy complications between employed and unemployed women. Among unemployed women, women receiving disability benefit had an increased risk of preterm ruptured membranes (OR 3.16, 95% CI 1.49 to 6.70), elective caesarean section (OR 2.98, 95% CI 1.21 to 7.34) and preterm birth (OR 2.64, 95% CI 1.32 to 5.28) compared to housewives. Offspring of students and women receiving disability benefit had a significantly lower mean birth weight than offspring of housewives (difference: −93, 95% CI −174 to −12; and −97, 95% CI −190 to −5, respectively). In employed women, long working hours (≥40 h/week) were associated with a decrease of 45 g in offspring's mean birth weight (adjusted analysis; 95% CI −89 to −1) compared with 1–24 h/weekly working hours.Conclusions We found no indications that paid employment during pregnancy effects the health of the mother and child. However, among unemployed and employed women, women receiving disability benefit, students and women with long working hours during pregnancy were at risk for some adverse pregnancy outcomes. More research is needed to replicate these results and explain these findings. Meanwhile, prenatal care providers should be made aware of the risks associated with specific types of unemployment and long working hours.