Antenatal depression is not associated with low birth weight: a study from urban Pakistan

AbstractBackground: Low Birth Weight (LBW) (< 2500g) is considered as a leading cause of cognitive impairments and physical disabilities in children. The incidence of low birth weight in South Asia is as high as 33%. We investigated the association of antenatal depression with low birth weight in an urban Pakistan community. Methods: A total of 1357 pregnant women in their third trimester were recruited. They were screened for antenatal depression by using Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). The Self Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) was also used for measuring psychological distress. Birth weights of 763 mothers’ newborn babies were obtained from the hospital records. Results: We did not find a significant association between antenatal depression and low birth weight (odds ratio 0.881, 95%CI 0.732-1.060) in mothers attending a charitable hospital in urban Pakistan.Conclusion: The presence of antenatal depression is not associated with low birth weight in an urban population in Pakistan but the prevalence of depression is high during pregnancy. There is a need to develop culturally adapted psychosocial interventions to address the high rates of depression