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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Michele L. Herdt-Losavio, MPH¹, Shao Lin, PhD², Charlotte M. Druschel, MD², and Syni-An A. Hwang, PhD². (1) Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University at Albany School of Public Health, 1 University Place, Room 130, Rensselaer, NY 12144, 518-402-0372, mlh06@health.state.ny.us, (2) Bureau of Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology, New York State Department of Health, 547 River St, Troy, NY 12180

The main objective of this study is to determine if female cosmetologists in New York State (NYS) have a higher incidence of adverse pregnancy outcomes than a comparison group of licensed, working females in NYS. Cosmetologists face occupational exposures to a variety of chemicals in the beauty products they use on their clients and themselves. This retrospective cohort study matched licensed female cosmetologists and a comparison group of licensed female realtors to birth certificates from 1997-2003. Outcomes are pre-term birth, low birth weight, very low birth weight, small for gestational age, and various other pregnancy and neonate-related outcomes. Crude analysis shows that cosmetologists (n=15,003) have an increased risk of having a child born low birth weight (odds ratio (OR) 1.21, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02, 1.44) and having any complication of delivery (OR 1.24, 95% CI 1.19, 1.29) compared to realtors. In addition, the risk of hypertension, premature rupture of membranes, prolonged rupture of membranes, previous spontaneous fetal death, fetal distress, and low 1 minute Apgar score were significantly elevated for cosmetologists compared to realtors (OR 1.18-1.49). These data indicate that cosmetologists may have an increased risk of several adverse pregnancy outcomes compared to a group of unexposed working females. Further steps will examine cosmetologists' specific work exposures, which may highlight areas to target for education and prevention against hazardous exposures.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify potential exposures associated with working as a cosmetologist.
• Design a record linkage procedure for gathering data on outcomes and potential confounders.
• Discuss the adverse pregnancy outcomes associated with being a cosmetologist.

Keywords: Birth Outcomes, Occupational Exposure

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No