TABLE 5.
Occupational postural load and employment outcomes during pregnancy or postpartum
| Author, Year | Design | Overall | Exposure Assessment | Postural Load Definition | Effect | Effect Size (95% CI) | Outcome | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
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| Utility | Freq | Timing | Reference | Categories | Measure | ||||
|
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| Pedersen, 202123 | Prospective cohort | +++ | 2 | 12 and 27 GW | No standing or walking | Stand or walk any time Standing or walking at 12 GW but not 27 GW Stand or walk at 27 GW but not 12 GW Standing or walking at both timepoints |
Adj OR | 2.00 (1.20, 3.00) 0.70 (0.20, 2.00) 2.30 (1.10, 4.70) 2.80 (1.70, 4.60) |
Antenatal leave ≥14 days ≤27 GW (0, 1) |
|
| |||||||||
| Safne, 201924 | Prospective cohort | 0 | 1 | 18–22 GW | Never/seldom | Walking/standing: Periodically Daily ≤50% time Daily >50% time |
rs | 0.144, p < 0.05 | Antenatal leave due to LBP and/or PGP from 32–36 GW (0, 1) |
|
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| Guendelman, 201634 | Case-control | ++ | 1 | Retrospective (4.5 months postpartum), for each trimester | No lifting >6.8 kg and no standing ≥4 hours | Frequent bending in trimesters 1 & 2 Standing ≥4 hours in trimesters 1 & 2 |
Adj OR | 5.89 (2.40, 14.5) 2.91 (1.46, 5.77) |
Employment withdrawal during pregnancy (0, 1) |
|
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| Hansen, 201525 | Prospective cohort | ++ | 1 | 17 GW (median) | Primarily sitting | Primarily standing Primarily walking Primarily stand and walk Changeable Sit, cycle, kneel, stand |
Adj HR | 2.57 (2.34, 2.82) 2.74 (2.54, 2.96) 2.80 (2.62, 2.99) 1.54 (1.46, 1.64) 2.23 (1.77, 2.82) |
First antenatal leave onset lasting >15 days occurring 10–29 GW (0, 1) |
|
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| Wallace, 201331 | Retrospective cohort | + | NR | Retrospective (after delivery) | < always standing | Always standing at work | Adj OR | 1.76 (1.07, 2.90)a | Return to work ≤1 year after delivery (0, 1) |
|
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| Kristensen, 200828 | Prospective cohort | + | 1 | ~17 GW | ≤ seldom | Turning/bending: | Work absence > 2 weeks between GW 17 and 30 (0, 1) | ||
| Sometimes Daily, <50% Daily, >50% |
Adj risk diff | −0.015 (−0.032, 0.002) −0.022 (−0.39, −0.006) 0.013 (−0.007, 0.032) |
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| Kaerlev, 200432 | Retrospective cohort | + | 1 | Retrospective (after delivery) | None Not defined |
Walking or standing Uncomfortable posture (NOS) |
Adj OR | 3.40 (1.90, 5.80) 1.60 (1.10, 2.40) |
Length of antenatal leave >10% of work time (0, 1) |
|
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| Strand, 199733 | Retrospective cohort | + | 1 | Retrospective (at delivery) for when pregnancy confirmed | No postural load | Stand and bend forward Hands > shoulder level Twisting/bending Hands > shoulder level Twisting/bending |
Adj OR | 1.30 (1.02, 1.65) 1.36 (1.06, 1.74) 1.32 (1.05, 1.66) 1.55 (1.22, 1.95) 1.46 (1.24, 1.76) |
Antenatal leave >8 weeks before delivery (0, 1) Antenatal leave >3 weeks < delivery (0, 1) |
Adj, adjusted; CI = confidence interval, Diff, difference; Freq, frequency; GW, gestational weeks; HR, hazard ratio; LBP and/or PGP, low back pain and/or pelvic girdle pain; NR, not reported; NOS, not otherwise specified; OR, odds ratio; p, significance value; rs, Spearman correlation coefficient; (0, 1), binary outcome (no, yes).
a
Estimate shown was computed from the reported proportion of exposed versus unexposed participants returning to work within one year postpartum, stratified by parity values 0 or 1, versus for parity ≥2, OR=8.06 (2.06–31.5).32
d: July 1, 2022 (for all dates since January 1, 1990).