title: Maternal cell phone and cordless phone use during pregnancy and behaviour problems in 5-year-old children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A previous study found an association between maternal cell phone use during pregnancy and maternal-reported child behaviour problems at age 7. Together with cell phones, cordless phones represent the main exposure source of radiofrequency-electromagnetic fields to the head. Therefore, we assessed the association between maternal cell phone and cordless phone use during pregnancy and teacher-reported and maternal-reported child behaviour problems at age 5.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was embedded in the Amsterdam Born Children and their Development study, a population-based birth cohort study in Amsterdam, the Netherlands (2003-2004). Teachers and mothers reported child behaviour problems using the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire at age 5. Maternal cell phone and cordless phone use during pregnancy was asked when children were 7 years old.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 2618 children were included. As compared to non-users, those exposed to prenatal cell phone use showed an increased but non-significant association of having teacher-reported overall behaviour problems, although without dose-response relationship with the number of calls (OR=2.12 (95% CI 0.95 to 4.74) for <1 call/day, OR=1.58 (95% CI 0.69 to 3.60) for 1-4 calls/day and OR=2.04 (95% CI 0.86 to 4.80) for ≥5 calls/day). ORs for having teacher-reported overall behaviour problems across categories of cordless phone use were below 1 or close to unity. Associations of maternal cell phone and cordless phone use with maternal-reported overall behaviour problems remained non-significant. Non-significant associations were found for the specific behaviour problem subscales.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results do not suggest that maternal cell phone or cordless phone use during pregnancy increases the odds of behaviour problems in their children.
authors: Division of Environmental Epidemiology, Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, Jenalaan 18d, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors: Mònica
authors: M
authors: Guxens
authors: Manon
authors: M
authors: van Eijsden
authors: Roel
authors: R
authors: Vermeulen
authors: Eva
authors: E
authors: Loomans
authors: Tanja G M
authors: TG
authors: Vrijkotte
authors: Hans
authors: H
authors: Komhout
authors: Rob T
authors: RT
authors: van Strien
authors: Anke
authors: A
authors: Huss
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D040421:Cell Phone / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000528:radiation effects*; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005178:Faculty / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013689:Telephone / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*