Prevalence of exposure to occupational risks during preganancy in Spain

Objectives. We describe reported exposures to main categories of occupational agents and conditions in Spanish pregnant workers. Methods. Women were recruited at 12th week of pregnancy from main public gynaecological consults to be included in the INMA Spanish cohorts study (n = 2,058). Through personal interviews with structured questionnaires, information on working situation and working conditions during pregnancy was obtained. Results. Fifty percent of the women reported frequent exposure to physical load (standing, heavy lifting) and 45 % reported exposure to three or more indicators of job strain. Exposure to at least one physical agent (noise, vibrations, etc.) affected 25 % of the women. Exposure to chemicals was reported by 20 % of the women, mostly including solvents and cleaning products. Eight percent of the women worked at night shifts. Job strain was more prevalent in office workers and industrial operators. Industrial workers showed the highest prevalence of exposure to chemical and physical pollutants. Conclusions. Our data suggest that working conditions of pregnant women may need increased control in Spain.

The Spanish version of the Prenatal Breast-feeding Self-efficacy Scale: Reliability and validity assessment

Background: Only a minority of infants are exclusively breastfed for the recommended 6 months postpartum. Breast-feeding self-efficacy is a mother's confidence in her ability to breastfeed and is predictive of breastfeeding behaviors. The Prenatal Breast-feeding Self-efficacy Scale (PBSES) was developed among English-speaking mothers to measure breastfeeding self-efficacy before delivery. Objectives: To translate the PBSES into Spanish and assess its psychometric properties. Design: Reliability and validity assessment. Setting: A public hospital in Yecla, Spain. Participants: A convenience sample of 234 pregnant women in their third trimester of pregnancy. Methods: The PBSES was translated into Spanish using forward and back translation. A battery of self-administered questionnaires was completed by participants, including a questionnaire on sociodemographic variables, breastfeeding experience and intention, as well as the Spanish version of the PBSES. Also, data on exclusive breastfeeding at discharge were collected from hospital database. Dimensional structure, internal consistency and construct validity of the Spanish version of PBSES were assessed. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis suggested the presence of one construct, self-efficacy, with four dimensions or latent variables. Cronbach's alpha coefficient for internal consistency was 0.91. Response patterns based on decision to breastfeed during pregnancy provided evidence of construct validity. In addition, the scores of the Spanish version of the PBSES significantly predicted exclusive breastfeeding at discharge. Conclusions: The Spanish version of PBSES shows evidences of reliability, and contrasting group and predictive validity. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated marginal fit and further studies are needed to provide new evidence on the structure of the scale. The Spanish version of the PBSES can be considered a reliable measure and shows validity evidences.