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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Nujjaree Nettip, RN, MS1, Louise H. Flick, RN, DrPH2, Cynthia L. Cook, PhD3, Sharon Homan, PhD4, Maryellen McSweeny, PhD1, Claudia Campbell, PhD5, Lisa Parnell, MSW3, and Mary Elizabeth Gallagher, PhD3. (1) School of Nursing, Saint Louis University, 3525 Caroline St., St. Louis, MO 63104, 314-997-6080, nettipn@slu.edu, (2) Schools of Nursing and Public Health, St. Louis University, 3525 Caroline Mall, St. Louis, MO 63104, (3) School of Social Service, St. Louis University, 3525 Caroline St., St. Louis, MO 63104, (4) School of Public Health, St. Louis University, 3663 Lindell Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63108, (5) School of Public Health, Saint Louis University, 3545 Layfayette, St. Louis, MO 63104
Studies of single psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and depression show a marked impact on infant birth weight. Potential mechanisms include the impact of illness on health behavior including nutrition and the physiological effects of maternal stress on the fetus. Research has revealed that mental illness, alcohol and tobacco use, and life stresses can affect body weight and eating behavior. This atheoretical study examines whether pregnant women with a psychiatric disorder are more likely to have inappropriate pre pregnancy weight (BMI) than women without a psychiatric disorder. Using data from an on-going longitudinal study of psychiatric illness in pregnancy, supported by NIMH, data on 143 pregnant Medicaid-eligible women recruited from the WIC Program were analyzed. The sample is stratified by race and urban/rural residence and is representative of low-income residents from Missouri Bootheel and the City of St. Louis. A lay administered standardized psychiatric interview (DIS-IV) determined lifetime and current diagnosis of 13 disorders. The results show 54%of the sample has a lifetime psychiatric disorder, 27% a current disorder. A life-events stress questionnaire was administered to obtain a life stress index. Pre pregnancy weight was obtained from WIC intake records. More than half of the sample have inappropriate BMI. The association between pre pregnancy BMI and psychiatric disorder in pregnancy is not significant using multiple regression, and hierarchical multiple regression to test mediating variables of tobacco uses. Pre pregnancy BMI might not be merely correlated to presence or absence of psychiatric disorder in pregnancy, but also to severity and chronicity of the disorders and life stress, and the use of alcohol and other illicit drugs.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Mental Illness, Nutrition
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.