Maternal mental health symptoms are positively associated with child dietary diversity and meal frequency but not nutritional status in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

Datos Bibliográficos

ID15096339
AutoresJillian Emerson (0000-0002-4448-062X, Johns Hopkins University, autor de correspondencia), Jillian A Emerson, Laura E Caulfield (0000-0001-7152-1004, Johns Hopkins University), Espoir Musafiri Kishimata, Jean-Pierre Nzanzu, Shannon Doocy (0000-0003-2363-7998, Johns Hopkins University)
Año2020
Volumen23
Número10
Páginas1810-1819
Fecha de publicación2020-07-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaPublic Health Nutrition (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1368-9800 • E-ISSN: 1475-2727
EditorialCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s1368980019004087
PMID32285766
OpenAlexW3015232640
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas2
Referencias citadas31

Objective: The objective was to examine the association between symptoms of maternal mental health problems and child diet and nutritional status in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo. Design: Maternal depression and anxiety symptoms were measured by the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25), and post-traumatic stress was measured by the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ). Participants were classified as having high psychological distress if their mean item score was in the upper quartile of both measures. Dependent variables included child dietary diversity, meal frequency, height-for-age z score (HAZ), weight-for-age z score (WAZ), weight-for-height z score (WHZ), stunting and underweight. Bivariate and multivariate regression analyses were conducted. Setting: The study was nested in a larger quasi-experimental study evaluating Jenga Jamaa II, a food and nutrition assistance project in Uvira and Fizi territories. Participants: In total, 812 mother–child pairs participated. Children ranged from 2·6 to 5·6 years of age. Results: HSCL-25 (ß: 0·18, P P P = 0·001; HTQ: ß: 0·12, P = 0·001; high distress: ß: 0·15, P P Conclusions: More severe symptoms of maternal mental health problems were positively associated with child diet, but not anthropometry indicators. More research is needed to understand the role of maternal mental health in child feeding practices in food insecure and resource-poor settings

Anxiety · Food insecurity · Food security · Geography · Malnutrition · Meal · Mental health · Obesity · Overweight · Psychiatry · Underweight · Child Nutrition and Water Access · Demography · Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations · Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum · Medicine · Internal Medicine