The risk of having a low birth weight or preterm infant among cosmetologists in New York State.
OBJECTIVE
This study sought to determine if female licensed cosmetologists have a higher risk of low birth weight, small-for-gestational-age, and preterm delivery compared to two different comparison groups.


METHODS
This retrospective cohort study matched 15,003 licensed cosmetologists and a comparison group of 4,246 licensed realtors to birth records in New York State from 1997 to 2003. A second comparison group from the general population of New York State (n = 12,171) was frequency matched to cosmetologists on child's year of birth, mother's ethnicity and mother's education.


RESULTS
A positive association was found for low birth weight when comparing cosmetologists to realtors (adjusted odds ratio 1.36 (95% confidence interval: 1.09, 1.70)). Associations were stronger in non-whites than in whites in each birth weight comparison. Associations observed for small-for-gestational-age or preterm births with either comparison group were close to the null or had wide confidence intervals that included the null.


CONCLUSIONS
We observed a slightly increased risk for having a child born low birth weight among cosmetologists compared to another group of licensed professionals. The risk was greater among non-white races in each comparison.
Herdt-Losavio
Michele L
ML
New York State Department of Health, Center for Environmental Health, 547 River Street, Room 200, Troy, NY 12180, USA. mlh06@health.state.ny.us
Lin
Shao
S
Druschel
Charlotte M
CM
Hwang
Syni-An
SA
Mauer
Matthew P
MP
Carlson
G Anders
GA
D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003358:Cosmetics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D008297:Male; D009518:New York / Q000453:epidemiology; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors
D003358:Cosmetics