title: Maternal psychological morbidity and low birth weight in India.
abstract: Depression following childbirth is associated with poor child growth in developing countries. We describe the association between psychological morbidity during pregnancy and low birth weight (<2.5 kg). A cohort of 270 mothers was recruited from a district hospital in Goa, India; all mothers were interviewed with a screening questionnaire for psychological morbidity. Babies of 250 mothers were reviewed at birth to measure their weight. Excluding 5 premature babies, we found that maternal psychological morbidity was independently associated with low birth weight (odds ratio 1.44, 95% CI 1.0-2.07). We conclude that maternal psychological morbidity has an adverse impact on foetal growth.
authors.affiliation: NPHIRU, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK. Vikram.patel@lshtm.ac.uk
authors.forename: Vikram
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Prince
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003906:Developing Countries; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D001523:Mental Disorders; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors