Low birthweight-- defined as weight at birth of 2,500 grams or less-- is a problem of great public health significance because it is the leading factor that determines the dismal infant mortality rate in the United States, as well as a leading contributor to infant and childhood morbidity. Prior research has identified a number of risk factors for low birthweight (e.g., single parenthood, low income), but even when all of the known risks as considered, the etiology of this problem is not fully understood. A risk of potential significance may be maternal depressive symptom. Recent research has demonstrated that those women with higher levels of depressive symptoms have higher levels of deleterious health behaviors (e.g., cigarette smoking) that affect birthweight. One retrospective study also demonstrated an association between depressive symptoms and pregnancy outcomes. However, since the depressive symptoms were measured after the birth of the child, responses may have been biased by the outcome of the pregnancy. No prior prospective study has tested hypotheses about the association between depressive symptoms and low birthweight. The proposed study will use data collected as part of a NICHD- funded prospective study of psychosocial factors and low birthweight. In this effort, a screening tool was administered to pregnant women to measure depressive symptoms and birthweight was identified at the end of the pregnancy. Data about health-related behaviors and confounding factors were also collected. The proposed study will test hypotheses, using prospective data on approximately 3,000 urban, low-income pregnant women, about depressive symptoms during pregnancy and low birthweight. Multivariate models will be used to control for potentially confounding factors.
| Orr, S T; Miller, C A (1995) Maternal depressive symptoms and the risk of poor pregnancy outcome. Review of the literature and preliminary findings. Epidemiol Rev 17:165-71 |
