title: Maternal occupation and industry and the pregnancy outcome of U.S. married women, 1980.
abstract: Data from the 1980 National Natality and National Fetal Mortality Surveys were used to characterize the occupations of women during the year before delivery; to search for disproportionate numbers of adverse pregnancy outcomes in specific occupational groups; and to compare demographic, reproductive, and lifestyle characteristics of employed mothers to those of mothers not employed in the year before delivery. National estimates were derived from the sample through a complex poststratified ratio adjustment procedure. For all pregnancy outcome groups, the greatest proportion of mothers were employed in three industry categories: professional and related services, wholesale and retail trade, and manufacturing; and in four occupation categories: clerical and kindred workers; professional, technical, and kindred workers; service workers; and operatives. Compared with employed mothers of live-born infants, a greater proportion of employed mothers of low birth weight infants worked full-time but stopped working before the third trimester. Compared with unemployed mothers, a larger proportion of employed mothers were between 20-29 years old, college educated, had a total family income of $21,000 or more per year, received early prenatal care, had no previous pregnancy, and drank alcohol during pregnancy. Estimates from this study may be used to (a) provide a better perspective of the magnitude of reproductive health problems, (b) target certain industrial populations for further research, and (c) assist in identifying causes of reproductive failure.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000209:etiology; D004522:Educational Status; D004651:Employment; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D005313:Fetal Death / Q000209:etiology*; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D007221:Industry; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008393:Marriage; D009309:National Center for Health Statistics, U.S.; D009790:Occupations; D011247:Pregnancy; D012907:Smoking; D014481:United States