Healthy Start screens for depression among urban pregnant, postpartum and interconceptional women.
OBJECTIVE
To examine perinatal depression in north and northeast Omaha, NE.


METHODS
The records of a sample of 119 randomly selected clients from Omaha Healthy Start (OHS) were reviewed. Three screening instruments were employed to identify women with depression: they were asked whether they were depressed (DQ); they received the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) and/or the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI).


RESULTS
The number of women with depressive symptoms identified by each technique varied from: DQ (16.8%), EPDS (16%) and BDI (7.6%). The three methods identified three subpopulations of women with different maternal and child health risk profiles reflected by their responses on an OHS-developed Maternal and Child Health Risk Assessment Tool.


CONCLUSIONS
In combination, these simple techniques identified depressed women with different risk profiles who would have been missed using a single approach exclusively.
Harrington
Alfred R
AR
Department of Internal Medicine, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, USA. alfred_harrington@hotmail.com
Greene-Harrington
Claudia C
CC
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D019052:Depression, Postpartum / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008429:Maternal Welfare / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009329:Nebraska / Q000453:epidemiology; D009939:Organizations, Nonprofit; D018743:Perinatal Care; D011247:Pregnancy; D037841:Pregnant People / Q000523:psychology*; D015995:Prevalence; D016730:Program Development; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012307:Risk Factors; D014504:Urban Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology*