Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health logoLink to Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
. 2004 May;58(5):395–401. doi: 10.1136/jech.2003.008029

Employment, working conditions, and preterm birth: results from the Europop case-control survey

M Saurel-Cubizolles 1, J Zeitlin 1, N Lelong 1, E Papiernik 1, R Di 1, G Breart 1
PMCID: PMC1732750  PMID: 15082738

Abstract

Study objective: To analyse the relation between preterm birth and working conditions in Europe using common measures of exposure and to test whether employment related risks varied by country of residence.

Design: A case-control study in which cases included all consecutive singleton preterm births and controls included one of every ten singleton term births in each participating maternity unit. Data about working conditions were obtained by interview from women after delivery.

Setting: Sixteen European countries.

Participants: The analysis included 5145 preterm and 7911 term births of which 2369 preterm and 4098 term births were to women employed during pregnancy. Analyses of working conditions were carried out for women working through at least the third month of pregnancy.

Main results: Employed women did not have an excess risk of preterm birth. Among working women, a moderate excess risk was observed for women working more than 42 hours a week (OR = 1.33, CI = 1.1 to 1.6), standing more than six hours a day (OR = 1.26, CI = 1.1 to 1.5), and for women with low job satisfaction (OR = 1.27, CI = 1.1 to 1.5). There were stronger links in countries with a lower overall level of perinatal health and a common practice of long prenatal leaves.

Conclusion: These findings show that specific working conditions affect the risk of preterm birth. They also suggest employment related risks could be mediated by the social and legislative context.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (273.6 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Ahlborg G., Jr, Bodin L., Hogstedt C. Heavy lifting during pregnancy--a hazard to the fetus? A prospective study. Int J Epidemiol. 1990 Mar;19(1):90–97. doi: 10.1093/ije/19.1.90. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Ahlborg G., Jr, Hogstedt C., Bodin L., Bárány S. Pregnancy outcome among working women. Scand J Work Environ Health. 1989 Jun;15(3):227–233. doi: 10.5271/sjweh.1858. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Ancel P. Y., Saurel-Cubizolles M. J., Di Renzo G. C., Papiernik E., Bréart G. Very and moderate preterm births: are the risk factors different? Br J Obstet Gynaecol. 1999 Nov;106(11):1162–1170. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1999.tb08142.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Brett K. M., Strogatz D. S., Savitz D. A. Employment, job strain, and preterm delivery among women in North Carolina. Am J Public Health. 1997 Feb;87(2):199–204. doi: 10.2105/ajph.87.2.199. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Fortier I., Marcoux S., Brisson J. Maternal work during pregnancy and the risks of delivering a small-for-gestational-age or preterm infant. Scand J Work Environ Health. 1995 Dec;21(6):412–418. doi: 10.5271/sjweh.56. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Frazier L. M., Golbeck A. L., Lipscomb L. Medically recommended cessation of employment among pregnant women in Georgia. Obstet Gynecol. 2001 Jun;97(6):971–975. doi: 10.1016/s0029-7844(01)01327-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hanke W., Saurel-Cubizolles M. J., Sobala W., Kalinka J. Employment status of pregnant women in central Poland and the risk of preterm delivery and small-for-gestational-age infants. Eur J Public Health. 2001 Mar;11(1):23–28. doi: 10.1093/eurpub/11.1.23. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Henriksen T. B., Hedegaard M., Secher N. J. The relation between psychosocial job strain, and preterm delivery and low birthweight for gestational age. Int J Epidemiol. 1994 Aug;23(4):764–774. doi: 10.1093/ije/23.4.764. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Henriksen T. B., Hedegaard M., Secher N. J., Wilcox A. J. Standing at work and preterm delivery. Br J Obstet Gynaecol. 1995 Mar;102(3):198–206. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1995.tb09094.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Henriksen T. B., Savitz D. A., Hedegaard M., Secher N. J. Employment during pregnancy in relation to risk factors and pregnancy outcome. Br J Obstet Gynaecol. 1994 Oct;101(10):858–865. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1994.tb13546.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Homer C. J., James S. A., Siegel E. Work-related psychosocial stress and risk of preterm, low birthweight delivery. Am J Public Health. 1990 Feb;80(2):173–177. doi: 10.2105/ajph.80.2.173. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Klebanoff M. A., Shiono P. H., Carey J. C. The effect of physical activity during pregnancy on preterm delivery and birth weight. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1990 Nov;163(5 Pt 1):1450–1456. doi: 10.1016/0002-9378(90)90604-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Launer L. J., Villar J., Kestler E., de Onis M. The effect of maternal work on fetal growth and duration of pregnancy: a prospective study. Br J Obstet Gynaecol. 1990 Jan;97(1):62–70. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1990.tb01718.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Luke B., Mamelle N., Keith L., Munoz F., Minogue J., Papiernik E., Johnson T. R. The association between occupational factors and preterm birth: a United States nurses' study. Research Committee of the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1995 Sep;173(3 Pt 1):849–862. doi: 10.1016/0002-9378(95)90354-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Mamelle N., Laumon B., Lazar P. Prematurity and occupational activity during pregnancy. Am J Epidemiol. 1984 Mar;119(3):309–322. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a113750. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Marbury M. C., Linn S., Monson R. R., Wegman D. H., Schoenbaum S. C., Stubblefield P. G., Ryan K. J. Work and pregnancy. J Occup Med. 1984 Jun;26(6):415–421. doi: 10.1097/00043764-198406000-00013. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. McDonald A. D., McDonald J. C., Armstrong B., Cherry N. M., Nolin A. D., Robert D. Prematurity and work in pregnancy. Br J Ind Med. 1988 Jan;45(1):56–62. doi: 10.1136/oem.45.1.56. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. McDonald A. D., McDonald J. C., Armstrong B., Cherry N., Delorme C., D-Nolin A., Robert D. Occupation and pregnancy outcome. Br J Ind Med. 1987 Aug;44(8):521–526. doi: 10.1136/oem.44.8.521. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Mozurkewich E. L., Luke B., Avni M., Wolf F. M. Working conditions and adverse pregnancy outcome: a meta-analysis. Obstet Gynecol. 2000 Apr;95(4):623–635. doi: 10.1016/s0029-7844(99)00598-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Murphy J. F., Dauncey M., Newcombe R., Garcia J., Elbourne D. Employment in pregnancy: prevalence, maternal characteristics, perinatal outcome. Lancet. 1984 May 26;1(8387):1163–1166. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(84)91404-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Saurel-Cubizolles M. J., Kaminski M., Llado-Arkhipoff J., Du Mazaubrun C., Estryn-Behar M., Berthier C., Mouchet M., Kelfa C. Pregnancy and its outcome among hospital personnel according to occupation and working conditions. J Epidemiol Community Health. 1985 Jun;39(2):129–134. doi: 10.1136/jech.39.2.129. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Saurel-Cubizolles M. J., Kaminski M., Rumeau-Rouquette C. Activité professionnelle des femmes enceintes, surveillance prénatale et issue de la grossesse. J Gynecol Obstet Biol Reprod (Paris) 1982;11(8):959–967. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Saurel-Cubizolles M. J., Kaminski M. Work in pregnancy: its evolving relationship with perinatal outcome (a review). Soc Sci Med. 1986;22(4):431–442. doi: 10.1016/0277-9536(86)90048-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Saurel-Cubizolles M. J., Subtil D., Kaminski M. Is preterm delivery still related to physical working conditions in pregnancy? J Epidemiol Community Health. 1991 Mar;45(1):29–34. doi: 10.1136/jech.45.1.29. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Savitz D. A., Olshan A. F., Gallagher K. Maternal occupation and pregnancy outcome. Epidemiology. 1996 May;7(3):269–274. doi: 10.1097/00001648-199605000-00009. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Savitz D. A., Whelan E. A., Rowland A. S., Kleckner R. C. Maternal employment and reproductive risk factors. Am J Epidemiol. 1990 Nov;132(5):933–945. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a115736. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Zeitlin Jennifer A., Saurel-Cubizolles Marie-Josèphe, Ancel Pierre-Yves, EUROPOP Group Marital status, cohabitation, and risk of preterm birth in Europe: where births outside marriage are common and uncommon. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 2002 Apr;16(2):124–130. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-3016.2002.00396.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES