New Delhi: Women with depressive symptoms have two times higher odds of delivering a baby small in gestational size compared to women with no depressive symptoms. The results were published in a paper published in Wellcome Open Research, titled 'Small for gestational age babies and depressive symptoms of mothers during pregnancy'.
More than one million babies are born with Low Birth Weight (LBW) in India every year. LBW often afflicts disadvantaged families, accentuating the risk of child mortality and morbidity. Despite the high prevalence of LBW, its causes are poorly recognized. The study suggests that addressing mental health problems should also be included in tackling India’s LBW burden.
The study was undertaken at Bengaluru and had these findings.
The prevalence of depressive symptoms in pregnant women attending public hospitals of Bengaluru was 16.5%. Pregnant women with depressive symptoms delivered a higher proportion of small for gestational age babies compared to women with no symptoms.
The odds of women giving birth to a child with small for gestational age were twice as high for women with depressive symptoms compared to women with no depressive symptoms.
"The findings stress on focusing on screening for depression in pregnant women in India’s public health systems to ensure healthy pregnancy outcomes. The paper highlights that better mental health in pregnant women, especially a positive social environment is instrumental in preventing low birth weight babies in India,” says Dr Giridhara R Babu, Principal Investigator of the study and professor Head- Lifecourse Epidemiology, Indian Institute of Public Health, Bengaluru, Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI)
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