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EMF Study
(Database last updated on Mar 27, 2024)

ID Number 2362
Study Type Epidemiology
Model An epidemiological study on maternal cell phone and cordless phone use during pregnancy and behaviour problems in 5-year-old children in the Netherlands used data from the Amsterdam Born Children and their Development project.
Details

AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Guxens et al. 2013 (IEEE #5476): BACKGROUND: A previous study found an association between maternal cell phone use during pregnancy and maternal-reported child behaviour problems at age 7. Together with cell phones, cordless phones represent the main exposure source of radiofrequency-electromagnetic fields to the head. Therefore, we assessed the association between maternal cell phone and cordless phone use during pregnancy and teacher-reported and maternal-reported child behaviour problems at age 5. METHODS: The study was embedded in the Amsterdam Born Children and their Development study, a population-based birth cohort study in Amsterdam, the Netherlands (2003-2004). Teachers and mothers reported child behaviour problems using the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire at age 5. Maternal cell phone and cordless phone use during pregnancy was asked when children were 7 years old. RESULTS: A total of 2618 children were included. As compared to non-users, those exposed to prenatal cell phone use showed an increased but non-significant association of having teacher-reported overall behaviour problems, although without dose-response relationship with the number of calls (OR=2.12 (95% CI 0.95 to 4.74) for <1 call/day, OR=1.58 (95% CI 0.69 to 3.60) for 1-4 calls/day and OR=2.04 (95% CI 0.86 to 4.80) for e5 calls/day). ORs for having teacher-reported overall behaviour problems across categories of cordless phone use were below 1 or close to unity. Associations of maternal cell phone and cordless phone use with maternal-reported overall behaviour problems remained non-significant. Non-significant associations were found for the specific behaviour problem subscales. CONCLUSION: Our results do not suggest that maternal cell phone or cordless phone use during pregnancy increases the odds of behaviour problems in their children.

Findings No Effects
Status Completed With Publication
Principal Investigator
Funding Agency ?????
Country NETHERLANDS
References
  • Guxens, M et al. J Epidemiol Community Health., (2013) 67:432-438
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