Infant weight-gain and obesity of rural children in the context of maternal postpartum mental health

Introduction: Consequences of mental health reach beyond individuals and impact family dynamics, health and socioeconomic capacity. Prevalence of mental illness in women is high in poverty-stricken rural areas. Maternal mental illness negatively impacts child health and development. This analysis will evaluate whether postpartum depressive symptomatology impacts child weight-gain and obesity in a rural context. The ultimate goal is to investigate maternal mental health as a vector for intergenerational transmission of health and human capital. Methodology: This analysis uses data from the Bassett Mother's Health Project I cohort (n=622 rural, central New York women, 44% low income). Postpartum “baby blues” survey data were collected at 6 weeks, 6 months and 1 year postpartum and used to categorize women as Healthy, Depressed or Resilient. Infant weight-gain and child BMI percentile at 3 years of age will be analyzed by maternal mental health category using multivariate longitudinal data analysis. Results: Approximately 22% of children (27% males, 18% females) born to mothers in the subsample had a BMI≥85th percentile at age 3 years. Preliminary unadjusted data show 44% of Depressed mothers' children were above the 85th percentile compared to 23% and 31% of Healthy and Resilient mothers' children, respectively. Similarly, rate of birth-to-1-year weight-gain was highest for Depressed mothers' children. Discussion: Understanding whether maternal mental health impacts infant weight-gain and child BMI may provide insight into mechanisms by which cumulative disadvantage is manifested. Addressing maternal mental health status may be an appropriate intervention target for childhood obesity prevention, especially in high-risk rural populations.