Work Patterns of Mothers Influence the Weights of Their Children

ABSTRACT

Objective: Recent studies have reported a positive association between paid work hours of mothers and obesity in their children. Like most of other hospitals, nurses at our center work either on irregular shifts or on a regular basis. The aim of this study was to analyze factors affecting the weights of the children of female nurses.

Material and Methods: We evaluated 100 children of female nurses on duty at our hospital. We prepared a questionnaire including details such as the gender of the child, birth-weight, education level and working status of both parents, duration of breastfeeding, age at which supplementary food was first introduced, exercise habits, snacking habits, and identity of caretakers while the mothers were at work. We calculated the body mass index percentiles using standard growth charts.

Results: According to the standard body mass index percentiles, 13 children were underweight, 53 had normal weight, 14 were overweight, and 20 were obese. The weight patterns of children were positively associated with regular maternal workstyle (p=0.016), frequency of snacking habits (p=0.003), and caesarian birth (p=0.04). Children of nurses working on shifts were more likely to be underweight compared to those working on fixed schedules. There was no association between the weight patterns of children and education levels of parents, working status of fathers, duration of lactation, birth-weight, gender, order of birth, and supplementary food consumption patterns.

Conclusion: Irregular working hours of mothers can cause irregular and insufficient nutrition for their children. The mother is generally unable to supervise the child during feding hours. These findings need to be confirmed through more studies on a large scale.