Iran Journal of Nursing

  A casual comparative study was made to determine the effect of pregnant women's working conditions on

  pregnancy outcome (fetal death, gestational age and birth weight).

  600 women, delivered or treated for spontaneous abortion in eleven hospitals of Tehran, were interviewed, 200

  were working women (the study group) and 400 housewives (the control group).

  For collecting information a questionnaire-checklist, consisting of 3 parts, was employed. The first part covered

  certain demographic information, the second gave details regarding working conditions of the study group during

  pregnancy and the third part checked the pregnancy outcome in all members of the sample.

  The working condition was categorized into desired and undesired columns using a condition rating system. The

  findings reflecting the pregnancy outcome and other variables of concern were presented in 45 tables. For analyzing

  the results chi-square and odd-ratio tests were employed.

  The results indicated that working mothers had a greater chance of experiencing premature delivery, low birth

  weight (less than 2500 grms) and fetal death than the housewife mothers. Also premature delivery and giving birth

  to low birth weight babies in those who had undesirable working conditions appeared to be higher than in those

  with better situations. But these differences statistically were not significant further, it appeared that long working

  hours (more than 8 hours a day) and jobs that required motion or produced physical fatigue contribute /0

  premature births, low birth weights and fetal deaths. Jet no significant correlations were noticed among the variables

  of concern. The only significant difference noticed was 1M body 's birth weight in working and housewife mothers.

  Based on these findings it was recommended tha t additional welfare services be provided to pregnant working