WORKING IN PREGNANCY AND BIRTH OUTCOME

Background The weight of an infant at birth is an important determinant of its survival and future health, growth and development. Birth weight is greatly influenced by the health, nutritional status, and lifestyle of the mother. Although maternal workload during pregnancy is considered as the risk factor for the birth weight and health of child, the manner and amount of load is poorly understood. In this study, maternal working, its load and status during pregnancy are examined for pregnancy outcome. Aim The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between maternal work during the time of pregnancy and birth outcome. Methods This study is based on a large prenatal care interventional study, which was conducted at 20 townships of rural China in 1999. The KAP (Knowledge, Attitude and Practices) survey was done to evaluate the intervention. All women who gave birth within 12 months of the three interview periods from 2000 to 2003 in 20 townships completed the KAP survey. During that time, about 1479 women gave birth according to the records kept by the local family planning system. The interview was conducted at the respondent's home and was based on a structured questionnaire. Three per cent of the sample was missed (refused, were out of village, for other reasons). Women with dead infants were not approached for interviews. This study analyzed only the relation of maternal workload during pregnancy to the birth outcome. Maternal age, parity and prenatal care were treated as potential confounder to study the relationship of maternal work and birth outcome. Results In newborns of women working less heavily, is significantly associated (