Women who travel long distances to their work during pregnancy are at increased risk of adverse birth outcomes such as giving birth to underweight babies, finds a new study.

‘Pregnant women who travel over 80 km to work, every 16 km raised the probability of having a low-birth-weight baby by 14 percent.’
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"The finding that low birth weight might be associated with a source of stress, like long-distance commuting, is somewhat expected since chronic strain is linked to adverse birth outcomes," said Muzhe Yang, Associate Professor at Lehigh University in the US. Read More..





"But it was surprising to find an association with under-use of prenatal care among pregnant women commuting long-distance," said Muzhe.
The long commutes during pregnancy were also associated with a decreased number of prenatal visits.
"These results suggest a self-reinforcing mechanism. Those who are in greater need of prenatal care because of the potential adverse effects of stress, triggered by long commutes, are under-using prenatal care, which could lead to even worse birth outcomes," said Yang Wang, Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US.
Source-IANS