title: Parental occupation and birth outcome in an agricultural community.
abstract: The general birth outcome and prevalence of specific birth defects was investigated within an agricultural community through the review of birth records in a major hospital in Imperial County, California. Of all singleton births (N = 2 463) occurring within a four-year period, 990 or 40.2% involved offspring with one or both parent(s) who were agricultural workers. The progeny of agricultural and nonagricultural workers were similar with regard to sex ratios, prevalence of low birth-weight infants, stillbirth rate, minor and major malformation rates, and prevalence of neonatal deaths. Limb reduction defects, however, occurred more frequently among offspring of agricultural workers (5.05 per 1 000 total births versus 2.19 per 1 000 total births, rate ratio = 2.3). Furthermore, the prevalence of limb reduction defects among agricultural workers was 3- to 14-fold higher than available United States rates (0.36-1.65 per 1 000 total births). Findings from our study suggest that agricultural communities and, in particular, agricultural workers may be at excess risk of producing a child with a limb reduction defect.
mesh_terms: D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous / Q000453:epidemiology; D000383:Agriculture; D002140:California; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations / Q000453:epidemiology; D025063:Chromosome Disorders; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009790:Occupations; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D012424:Rural Population