Association of Maternal depression with diet: A systematic review.

This review was conducted to explore the bi-directional association of maternal depression with diet. This link is hypothesized because the mental health of pregnant women may adversely affect their nutritional intake; or inversely, that poor nutritional intake during pregnancy may cause mental health issues. Seven electronic databases were searched to retrieve relevant peer-reviewed articles published during 2000-2018. Primary research studies published in English that evaluated the relationship between maternal antenatal and postnatal depression with dietary intake were selected. We screened 1585 articles, of which 13 met the inclusion criteria. These included five cohort studies (including two birth cohorts) and eight cross-sectional studies representing a total of 12,742 participants altogether. Studies were divided into five groups depending on whether they analyzed all nutrients, micronutrients, dietary patterns, dietary behavior or intake of fish and vegetables. The studies exploring the association of depression with dietary patterns found a protective association of "Health Conscious", "Healthy" and "Brazilian" diet patterns with maternal depression. The group of studies which analyzed all nutrients, found an inverse relationship of the "Healthy Eating Index" with maternal depression. Deficiency of calcium, iron, and folate were also associated with maternal depression. Prenatal and early postpartum eating attitudes and BMI were found as predictors of depressive symptoms in the late post-partum period in a diet behavior study. It is important to identify modifiable lifestyle risk factors which may contribute to maternal depression. A limitations of our review is the absence of meta-analysis which was not possible due to heterogeneity of the studies.

Child and adolescent mental health worldwide: evidence for action.

Mental health problems affect 10-20% of children and adolescents worldwide. Despite their relevance as a leading cause of health-related disability in this age group and their longlasting effects throughout life, the mental health needs of children and adolescents are neglected, especially in low-income and middle-income countries. In this report we review the evidence and the gaps in the published work in terms of prevalence, risk and protective factors, and interventions to prevent and treat childhood and adolescent mental health problems. We also discuss barriers to, and approaches for, the implementation of such strategies in low-resource settings. Action is imperative to reduce the burden of mental health problems in future generations and to allow for the full development of vulnerable children and adolescents worldwide.

Inequality in early childhood: risk and protective factors for early child development.

Inequality between and within populations has origins in adverse early experiences. Developmental neuroscience shows how early biological and psychosocial experiences affect brain development. We previously identified inadequate cognitive stimulation, stunting, iodine deficiency, and iron-deficiency anaemia as key risks that prevent millions of young children from attaining their developmental potential. Recent research emphasises the importance of these risks, strengthens the evidence for other risk factors including intrauterine growth restriction, malaria, lead exposure, HIV infection, maternal depression, institutionalisation, and exposure to societal violence, and identifies protective factors such as breastfeeding and maternal education. Evidence on risks resulting from prenatal maternal nutrition, maternal stress, and families affected with HIV is emerging. Interventions are urgently needed to reduce children's risk exposure and to promote development in affected children. Our goal is to provide information to help the setting of priorities for early child development programmes and policies to benefit the world's poorest children and reduce persistent inequalities.