ArticleMaternal & child nutrition2020
Maternal depression is associated with child undernutrition: A cross-sectional study in Ethiopia.
Article in Maternal & child nutrition, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 33 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
33 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 51 citations in OpenAlex.
- Meta-analysis of 633,317 individuals shows associations between healthy diets and depression, anxiety and stress in 23 low- and middle-income countries.BMC global and public health · 2026Pooled it
- The epidemiology of maternal mental health in Africa: a systematic review.Archives of women's mental health · 2025Pooled it
- Maternal postpartum depression in relation to child undernutrition in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European journal of pediatrics · 2022Pooled it
- Determinants of Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices of Children With Severe Acute Malnutrition in Agrarian and Pastoralist Settings of Ethiopia.Maternal & child nutrition · 2026Trial
- Association between maternal postpartum depressive symptoms, socioeconomic factors, and birth outcomes with infant growth in South Africa.Scientific reports · 2023Trial
- Maternal Depression and Its Association With Child Undernutrition in Urban Ethiopia.International journal of pediatrics · 2026Article
- Maternal mental health and infant and young child undernutrition: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Nepal journal of epidemiology · 2026Review
- Relationship between maternal social support and undernutrition among children under 5 years in Siem Reap Province, Cambodia: the chain mediating roles of household food insecurity and maternal depression.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Measuring depression in Wolof-speaking communities using the CESD-10 in rural Senegal.BMC psychiatry · 2025Article
- Association between poor mental health in mothers and child stunting: a population-based cross-sectional study in Rwanda.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Psychosocial Predictors of Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices Among Mother-Child Dyads in Malawi and South Africa.Maternal & child nutrition · 2025Article
- Maternal Mental Health and Child Dietary Diversity in Rural Kenya: Findings From a Pooled Analysis of 2 Baseline Studies.Current developments in nutrition · 2025Article
- Status of Inappropriate Complementary Feeding and Its Associated Factors Among Infants of 9-23 Months.Nutrients · 2024Article
- Impact of maternal depression on malnutrition treatment outcomes in older children with sickle cell anemia.BMC nutrition · 2024Article
- Prevalence and associated factors of maternal depression among mothers of children with undernutrition at comprehensive specialized hospitals in Northwest Ethiopia in 2023: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Article
- Hand Washing Practice and Food Insecurity are Associated With Undernutrition of Breastfeeding Mothers in Rural Ethiopia: A Cross-sectional Study.Environmental health insights · 2024Article
- Maternal mental health and nutritional status of infants aged under 6 months: A secondary analysis of a cross-sectional survey.PLOS global public health · 2024Article
- Path analysis of influencing factors for anxiety and depression among first-trimester pregnant women.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Article
- Perinatal depression and adverse child growth outcomes in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs): A systematic review and meta-analysis.PLOS global public health · 2024Article
- Association between depressive symptoms of mothers and eating behaviors of school-going children in Urban Bangladesh: A cross-sectional study.BMC women's health · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Child undernutrition is widespread in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) and is associated with health and economic losses. Undernutrition is estimated to contribute to 3.1 million deaths per year in children less than 5 years of age. A complex causal and contextual factors contributing to child undernutrition have been assessed, but maternal depression, which could contribute to child undernutrition by interfering with the mother's child caring practice and ability, has been received little attention. The objective of this study was to assess the association between maternal postpartum depression symptoms and infant (5-10 months of age) stunting in northern Ethiopia. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among mother-infant pairs (n = 232) between March and April 2018. Through interviewer-administrated questionnaire, information on sociodemographic variables were collected, and maternal depression symptoms were assessed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS≥13). Infants' length and weight were measured and converted to length and weight for age Z scores using the WHO growth standards. Breastfeeding was a norm, but the adequacy of complementary feeding practice was sub-optimal. Only 25% of the infants met the minimum meal frequency (MMF), less than 10% met the minimum dietary diversity (MMD; 9%) or minimum acceptable diet (7%). Maternal depression was prevalent (22.8%) and was significantly associated with inappropriate complementary feeding and stunting (P < .05). Improving complementary feeding practices is central to preventing stunting in this and other settings. However, such efforts should integrate interventions that address maternal depression to improve child feeding and caring practices to effectively prevent stunting.
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