[ASSOSSIATION BETWEEN UNEMPLOYMENT, HEAVY PHYSICAL WORK AND PREMATURITY: RESULTS OF CASE-CONTROL STUDY IN PLEVEN]

Many studies confirmed the lower risk of prematurity among working women and established a link between heavy physical work and the prematurity. The aim of the study is to establish the association between unemployment and the heavy physical work of the mother during pregnancy and the birth of a premature baby.

In 2011 case-control study of two groups of premature (58) and mature (192) children born in 2007 in the University Hospital "George Stransky"-Pleven was conducted. For the aim of the study documentary method and sociological interview were used. The survey data were processed with statistical software packages. The significance of the results, findings and conclusions determined at p < 0.05. Odds ratio (OR) was used for assessment the strength of the association.

In this study we found: more than four times higher risk of giving birth to a premature baby for unemployed mothers (OR = 4.48; 95% CI = 2.56-7.83; P = 0.01); more than two times higher risk of premature child birth among mothers performing heavy physical work during pregnancy (OR = 2.40; 95% CI = 1.03-6.19; P = 0.050) and the protective effect of having a job during pregnancy in association to the birth of a premature baby (OR = 0.26; 95% CI = 0.15-0.45; P = 0.001).

We confirm our hypothesis that the unemployment and the heavy physical work during pregnancy increase the risk for birth of a premature baby.