J Korean Med Sci.  2024 Jan;39(1):e25. 10.3346/jkms.2024.39.e25.

Associations of Night Shift Status During Pregnancy With Small for Gestational Age and Preterm Births

• Lee SJ
• Kim C
• Lee EJ
• Lim MN
• Na S
• Kim WJ
• Ko-CHENS Study Group

• KMID: 2550791
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2024.39.e25

Abstract

Background
Shift work, including night shift work, during pregnancy has been associated with adverse birth outcomes such as small for gestational age (SGA) infants and preterm births. This study, conducted in South Korea using the Korean CHildren’s ENvironmental health Study (Ko-CHENS) cohort, aimed to investigate the association between shift work and night shift status during pregnancy and adverse birth outcomes.
Methods
The Korean Ko-CHENS is a nationwide prospective birth cohort study of children’s environmental diseases, conducted by the Ministry of Environment and the National Institute of Environmental Research. This study included pregnant women recruited from 2015 to 2020 for Ko-CHENS Core Cohorts, and 4,944 out of a total of 5,213 pregnant women were selected as final subjects. A logistic regression model was used to identify the risk factors affecting SGA births, preterm births, and low-birth-weight infants, and the odds ratio (OR) was adjusted. This was confirmed by calculating ORs. Maternal age, infant sex, maternal educational status, body mass index, smoking status, alcohol consumption status, parity, gestational diabetes mellitus, preeclampsia, and abortion history were used as adjusted variables.
Results
No statistically significant differences were observed in the birth outcomes or maternal working patterns. There were no significant differences in the adjusted odds ratios (aORs) of SGA and preterm births between the non-worker, day worker, and shift worker. However, there was a significant difference in the aORs of SGA between non-workers and night shift workers. (aORs [95% confidence interval], 2.643 [1.193–5.859]).
Conclusion
Working during pregnancy did not increase the risk of SGA or preterm birth, and night shift work did not increase the risk of preterm birth. However, night-shift work increases the risk of SGA.

Keyword

Pregnancy; Small for Gestational Age; Shift Work Schedule

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Study population.

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