Maternal Work in a Technical Field Is Associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Details

• Personal Author:
  Fekedulegn D ; Gu J ; Hertz-Picciotto I ; Ma C ; McCanlies EC
• Description:
  Previous research indicated that paternal occupation in a technical field is positively associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, another report only found this relationship with maternal occupation. We conducted a case-control study to determine if parent occupation in a technical field was associated with ASD in 978 children (556 ASD, 423 typically developing). Our participants consisted of families enrolled in the Childhood Autism Risks from Genetics and Environment (CHARGE) study. Parental occupational information up to six months prior to pregnancy until birth was analyzed. Using Standard Occupational Classification codes occupational data were divided into white collar technical or nontechnical and blue collar technical or nontechnical groups. ORs and 95% CIs were calculated using logistic regression controlling for child age, race, regional center catchment area, parent's age and education level. Fathers of children with ASD were more likely to work in business and finance (7.5% vs. 2.8%, p=0.002) and less likely to work in construction and extraction (5.9% vs. 11.3%; p=0.004) compared to fathers of typically developing children. Mothers of children with ASD were more likely to work in computer and mathematical sciences compared to mothers of typically developing children (4.2% vs. 1.2%; p=0.02). Among parents who only worked in a white collar occupation, mothers who worked in computer and mathematical sciences were more likely to have a child with ASD (OR=3.6; 95% CI=1.2- 11.0) compared to mothers who worked in white collar non-technical jobs. This relationship was not observed for fathers. These results support previous research showing that ASD is associated with maternal, but not paternal occupation in a technical field, after controlling for parental education and age. This study is limited by a small sample size; further prospective research is needed to confirm these results and help explain the etiology underlying these associations. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Occupational Health Pregnancy Safety
• Keywords:
  ASDs Autism Spectrum Disorders Case Control Studies Prenatal Exposure Technical Personnel
• Publisher:
  Society for Epidemiologic Research
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  Colorado ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 8 ; Utah ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  HELD - Health Effects Laboratory Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20066357
• Citation:
  48th Annual Society for Epidemiologic Research (SER) Meeting, June 16-19, 2015, Denver, Colorado. Clearfield, UT: Society for Epidemiologic Research, 2015 Jun; :114
• Contact Point Address:
  E. C. McCanlies; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Morgantown, WV
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  48th Annual Society for Epidemiologic Research (SER) Meeting, June 16-19, 2015, Denver, Colorado
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:51a02e93f213486947e4052044c1175d63ece528382b38060f74c56c75e018f972ff2ed51653853501a08da26b5bd4ff3ebbee417e5a54fd6817f0b80478d085
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/212823/cdc_212823_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 671.39 KB ]