Effect of mobile phone usage duration during pregnancy on the general motor movements of infants

Abstract

Radiofrequency radiation (RFR) emitted from wireless devices increases rapidly and the most sensitive groups are pregnant women and children. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the fidgety movements (FMs) and motor repertoires of the infants of pregnant women with different durations of mobile phone usage (DOMFU) in the prenatal period by performing a general movement assessment (GMA) using the Prechtl method. Infants suitable for the study were divided into 4 groups according to their mothers' duration of mobile phone usage during pregnancy, comprising those who did not talk on a mobile phone (Control Group, n: 31), those with mobile phone usage (MFU) of similar to 20 min a day (Group 1, n: 33), those with MFU of similar to 40 min a day (Group 2, n: 31), and those with MFU of similar to 2 h a day (Group 3, n: 28). The analysis showed that the abnormal fidgety (AF) and absent fidgety (F-), suboptimal motor optimality score (MOS) and reduced motor repertoire were statistically higher in Group 3 compared to the other groups. Normal posture and the quality of other movements were statistically higher in the Control, and Groups 1 and 2 compared to Group 3. According to the findings, infants of mothers with different DOMFU during pregnancy differed with regard to the quality of FMs, MOS, repertoire, posture and other movements. In conclusion, the findings suggested that there may be a relationship between prenatal RFR exposure and motor development in infants. More long-term studies are needed to determine whether these changes are temporary or permanent.