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Influence of work on pregnancy outcome
S R Seneviratne1, D N Fernando
1Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Objectives:
To study the effect of working in health services on complications of pregnancy, preterm deliveries and low birthweight (LBW).
Methods:
These indices were studied in 130 pregnancies that occurred within the preceding 5 years in 100 nursing officers (NOs) and 126 pregnancies in 100 clerical workers (CWs). Risk was assessed by calculating odds ratios. Confounding and interaction effects were studied by stratification.
Results:
Socio-economic background and antenatal care utilization in the two groups were similar. Occurrence of LBW was not significantly different (OR = 1.04; 0.57 < OR < 1.89; P = 0.89) although complications of pregnancy (OR = 2.18; 1.09 < OR < 4.38; P = 0.017) and preterm deliveries (OR = 5.64; 1.15 < OR < 37.73; P = 0.013) were higher in NOs. Further analysis showed that employment in health services has a positive effect in prevention of LBW among NOs in the presence of other risk factors.
Conclusions:
Working in the health services had a negative effect on some of the indices while benefits of such employment had a positive effect on birth-weight.