Maternal depression and childhood obesity: A systematic review

Abstract

Objective Maternal depression is prevalent and has been associated with parenting practices that influence child weight. In this systematic review we aimed to examine the prospective association between maternal depression and child overweight. Methods We searched four databases (PsycINFO, PubMed, Embase, and Academic Search Premier) to identify studies for inclusion. We included studies with a prospective design with at least one year follow-up, measuring maternal depression at any stage after childbirth, and examining child overweight or obesity status, BMI z-score or percentile, or adiposity. Two authors extracted data independently and findings were qualitatively synthesized. Results We identified nine prospective studies for inclusion. Results were examined separately for episodic depression (depression at a single measurement occasion) and chronic depression (depression on multiple measurement occasions). Mixed results were observed for the relationship between episodic depression and indicators of child adiposity. Chronic depression, but not episodic depression, was associated with greater risk for child overweight. Conclusions While chronic depression may be associated with child overweight, further research is needed. Research is also needed to determine whether maternal depression influences child weight outcomes in adolescence and to investigate elements of the family ecology that may moderate the effect of maternal depression on child overweight.

Adolescent adrenocortical activity and adiposity: Differences by sex and exposure to early maternal depression

“…Moreover, one may anticipate sex differences in a variety of mental and physical health conditions associated with HPA axis functioning, given the extensive interplay between the systems governing adrenal and gonadal hormones (Pasquali, 2012). While this is the first study examining the influence of maternal depression on cortisol-BMI associations, previous research has shown inconsistent associations between maternal depression and adiposity (Lampard et al, 2014), suggesting that maternal depression may work in combination with other factors, such as stress physiology, to influence adiposity.…”

“…We previously demonstrated that early exposure to higher maternal depressive symptoms had a particularly potent effect on later HPA-axis activity both in childhood and adolescence (Essex et al, 2002b; Essex et al, 2011; Ruttle et al, 2013b). There is also some evidence that exposure to early, chronic maternal depression is associated with increased likelihood of later overweight or obesity; however, research into adolescence is sparse and authors suggest examining moderating factors to clarify associations (Lampard et al, 2014). …”

Associations between family food behaviors, maternal depression, and child weight among low-income children

“…While unexpected, this finding may reflect that chronic depression (Wojcicki et al, 2011) is more likely to influence child weight than current depressive symptoms. Indeed, a recent review of prospective studies found that chronic depression predicted child overweight, but episodic depression did not (Lampard, Franckle, & Davidson, 2014). Further, other individual stressors, such as those related to family structure (Gibson et al, 2007; Gundersen et al, 2008), or cumulative measures of stress (Gundersen et al, 2008) may better explain child weight outcomes, although more research is needed to examine these relationships among low-income preschool-aged children.…”

Maternal Depression and Childhood Overweight in the CHAMACOS Study of Mexican-American Children

“…Maternal depression, which is estimated to afflict 14 % of women of reproductive age [12], has been implicated as a potential risk factor for childhood overweight and obesity [22]. The relationship of maternal depression and childhood overweight/obesity has been hypothesized to be associated with parenting practices [16], as depressed mothers may have difficulty sustaining exclusive breastfeeding [1], recognizing child satiety cues [18,19], providing healthful food choices [18,24], and modeling physical activity behaviors relative to non-depressed mothers [23].…”

“…However, neither study controlled for maternal BMI, an important covariate that may explain part of the relationship between maternal depression and child weight status. Lampard et al [22] published a systematic review of literature of maternal depression and concluded that in studies measuring depression on multiple occasions, chronic but not episodic maternal depression was consistently related to a greater risk for childhood overweight. To our knowledge, no literature explores this relationship among Latina women and children, a high-risk population.…”