Women's work and preterm birth: Epidemiological knowledge and description of a European project

Objective: The purpose of this paper is to review the epidemiological studies published in the English language since 1990, about the relationship between pregnant women's occupational activity and preterm birth and to describe a European project of research on this topic. Results: The recently published studies concluded that employment per se is nota risk factor for preterm birth. The results of the reviewed studies about working conditions and preterm births are not consistent, although several studies have suggested an adverse effect of physically demanding work. Methodological aspects have been developed, suggesting the difficulties in comparing the different studies are in drawing firm conclusions about the effect of work on preterm birth. Conclusion: A European project of research in progress on this topic is described; this project includes 17 European countries and will allow good statistical power in order to estimate the association between working conditions and preterm births. It will also allow comparison of the working conditions and the application of social policies for pregnant women in the participating countries.