Don't stand for too long when
pregnant
Standing for long durations during pregnancy may curb the growth of the
developing foetus, a new study has revealed.
Previous research had indicated that long working hours might increase the risk of birth defects, premature birth, stillbirth and low birth-weight.
The researchers assessed that the foetal growth rates of 4680 mothers to be from early pregnancy onwards between 2002 and 2006.
Midway through their pregnancy, the women were quizzed about their work conditions and the physical demands of their jobs, including whether these included lifting, long periods of standing or walking, night shifts and long working hours.
Around four out of 10 (38.5 per cent) of the women spent a long time on their feet and 45.5 per cent had to walk for long periods. Heavy lifting was part of the job for just 6 per cent, while around 4 per cent worked night shifts.
The development of their babies was regularly measured throughout pregnancy, using ultrasound, and then again at birth. The results showed that physically demanding work and long working hours were not consistently associated with restrictions on overall size or birth-weight, or with premature birth.
And working up to 34 or 36 weeks of pregnancy had no adverse impact on foetal development.
But women who spent long periods on their feet during their pregnancy, in jobs such as sales, childcare, and teaching, had babies whose heads were an average of 1 cm (3 per cent) smaller than average at birth, implying a slower growth rate.
Around half the women (47.5 per cent) worked between 25 and 39 hours a week, while around one in four (23 per cent) worked more than 40 hours a week.
And those who worked more than 40 hours a week had smaller babies than those who worked under 25 hours a week.
The authors comment that generally women who are in work have fewer pregnancy complications, birth defects, and stillbirths than women who are unemployed, but that certain aspects of work may not be without risk.
The research was published online in Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
18.09.2012
Asthmatic kids may suffer severe anxiety
Young children with severe or persistent asthma are
more likely to develop many common mental health problems like anxiety and depression, an Australian study says.
University of Western Australia (UWA) psychologist and study co-author Monique Robinson said their findings build on previous studies which have found that as the severity of asthma increases, so do problems such as anxiety and depression.
"We were interested in understanding the link between asthma in early childhood and mental health problems later on as little is known about the relationship," Robinson said, the journal Psychological Medicine reports.
"We looked at whether the link was present for mild as well as severe asthma, and whether the link depended on asthma symptoms being persistent throughout childhood as opposed to asthma that lessens as the child grows older," added Robin, according to an UWA statement.
The study used western Australian data from the Raine Study to determine whether children who had asthma at five years were vulnerable for later mental health problems through to the age of 17 years.
The research team found that having asthma at age five was tied to a higher vulnerability for the later development of problems such as anxiety, conduct problems and affective problems.
When the children with asthma were separated into groups depending on the severity of their condition, children with mild asthma were no different to those without asthma in terms of mental health outcomes, but children with severe or persistent asthma were seen to be the most at risk of future mental health problems.
18.09.2012
Never regret yesterday. Life is in you today, and
you make your tomorrow
L. Ron Hubbard
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