The Impact of Maternal Employment on Health of Children Under Two Years Old | ||
| Egyptian Journal of Occupational Medicine | ||
| Article 6, Volume 45, Issue 1, January 2021, Pages 81-96 PDF (456.75 K) | ||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/ejom.2021.143336 | ||
| Authors | ||
| Abu salem ME1; ALshazaly HM2; Ibrahem RA1; Al-oshari SHA* 3; Allam HK3 | ||
| 1Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Egypt | ||
| 2Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Egypt, | ||
| 3Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Taiz University, Yemen. | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Introduction: Women’s labor force participation has risen around the globe in the past few decades, maternal employment can affect children’s well-being through multiple channels, including income effects, decisions about health inputs, and time spent with children. Overall, women’s employment affects child health widely. Aim of work: To study the impact of maternal employment on breastfeeding practice, nutritional status, and motor development of children under two years old. Materials and methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted during the period from May 2018 to December 2019, on 400 children under two years old who were attending a Pediatrics Clinic or Vaccination Unit at the Primary Health Care Centers at Shebin Alkom district, Menoufia governorate. The children who fulfilled inclusion criteria were involved in the study, and their mothers were interviewed using an interview questionnaire. Physical examination and complete blood count were done for children. Results: Working mothers represented 25% of the studied sample. There were statistically significant differences between employed and unemployed mothers as regards education, income, and socioeconomic standard. There were statistically significant differences between the studied groups in breastfeeding practices; exclusive breastfeeding, frequency and duration of breastfeeding were lower among employed mothers, the rate of hospitalization and different infections, i.e., gastroenteritis, otitis media, and repeated throat infection, were significantly higher among children of employed mothers compared to children of unemployed mothers (p-value ˂0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between children of employed and unemployed mothers as regard motor development, dentation, weight for age, length for age, and weight for length, while anemia was significantly higher among children of unemployed compared to employed mothers. Conclusion and recommendations: Maternal employment has a negative impact on breastfeeding practice and increase infectious diseases occurrence and hospitalization rate among children. The study showed that there was no effect on motor development and nutrition status of the children. The government has to encourage the implementation of national legislations, which mandated the employers to provide their employees with childcare centers and nurseries near to the workplace. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Maternal employment; Child health; Breastfeeding and Nutritional status | ||
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