Association Between the Occupation of Pregnant Women’s Partners and Risks of Infant Low Birth Weight and Preterm Birth in a Prospective Birth Cohort: The Japan Environment and Children’s Study (March 2025)-Association Between the Occupation of Pregnant Women’s Partners and Risks of Infant Low Birth Weight and Preterm Birth in a Prospective Birth Cohort: The Japan Environment and Children’s Study

Association Between the Occupation of Pregnant Women’s Partners and Risks of Infant Low Birth Weight and Preterm Birth in a Prospective Birth Cohort: The Japan Environment and Children’s Study

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The study investigates the relationship between the occupations of partners of pregnant women and the risks of infant low birth weight (LBW) and preterm birth (PB) using data from the Japan Environment and Children’s Study, which included 46,540 participants. Data collection spanned from January 2011 to March 2014. The study employed logistic regression models adjusted for various confounding factors to analyze these associations.<br /><br />Key findings indicate that LBW incidence was 7.5% and PB incidence was 4.1%. Clerical and service worker partners showed higher odds of their infants being born with LBW compared to professional and engineering partners. Specifically, clerical workers had an odds ratio (OR) of 1.19 and service workers had an OR of 1.21 for LBW. Moreover, "workers not classifiable by occupation" also showed higher odds for LBW.<br /><br />The study also explored the implications of paternal occupation stress on semen quality and potential epigenetic changes, which may influence fetal development negatively. This insight builds upon existing knowledge linking prenatal environmental factors to healthy development, suggesting that partner occupations like clerical and service work could carry additional stressors with potential biological repercussions.<br /><br />There was no significant association found between partner occupational groups and the occurrence of PB. Conclusions emphasize that certain occupational stressors related to clerical and service-related jobs may increase the risk for LBW, which could be crucial for occupational health and preventive medicine advisories targeting pregnant women and their partners.<br /><br />The data used in this study were obtained ethically, with participants' consent, and the findings have implications for policy adjustments toward comprehensive preconception health care to mitigate adverse outcomes. However, the study recognizes limitations such as potential occupational misclassifications and missing adjustments for all socioeconomic factors, recommending further research to explore occupational impacts on child growth and development comprehensively.

Keywords

infant low birth weight

preterm birth

paternal occupation

logistic regression

Japan Environment and Children’s Study

occupational stress

semen quality

epigenetic changes

prenatal environmental factors

preventive medicine