Women's Health After Pregnancy
Major Influence on Child Health, Says New Study
CINCINNATI -- A woman's mental and physical health in the months and years after pregnancy are critically important to her young child's health and well-being, according to a new Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center study.
The study, published in the August issue of the American Journal of Public Health, shows that poor physical health in women after pregnancy nearly doubles the odds of poor physical and behavior problems in their children at age three. Poor mental health in women after pregnancy is associated with a similar increased risk for behavior problems and delayed language in children at age three, according to Robert Kahn, MD, MPH, a physician in the division of General and Community Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children's and the study's lead author. Smoking, too, is associated with children's poor physical health and behavior problems at age three.
"It is the persistence of these maternal health conditions, and the fact that they occur together, that is really striking," says Dr. Kahn. "The more persistent the woman's poor physical health, depressive symptoms and smoking, the greater the negative effects on child health. This persistence and co-occurrence suggest the need for more comprehensive intervention strategies to improve health outcomes for women and children."
Dr. Kahn and his colleagues obtained data on more than 8,000 children from the 1988 National Maternal and Infant Health Survey and its 1991 follow up. Outcomes from the 1991 follow-up survey reflect children's physical and behavioral health as well as their language skills.
Physical health outcomes, as reported by their mothers, included the child's general health status, whether the child had been hospitalized (not including birth), and whether the child had asthma. Behavioral health was assessed by asking mothers whether their child was difficult to manage, had difficulty playing with other children, and had frequent tantrums. Women's health was characterized by self-reported physical health status, depressive symptoms and smoking.
"Although the child health community has long supported health services and health insurance for women while they are pregnant, these findings suggest the need to expand that commitment beyond the prenatal period," says Dr. Kahn. "An integrated strategy to connect or reconnect women to primary care doctors after pregnancy may be needed. Recent efforts to expand Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program eligibility for parents would help reduce barriers for low-income families."
The study was partially funded by the Health Resources Services Administration.
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center is a 426-bed institution dedicated to the pursuit of perfect health care. It is the only pediatric organization in the United States to receive the prestigious Pursuing Perfection grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation ranks third nationally among all pediatric centers in research grants from the National Institutes of Health. The Cincinnati Children's vision is to be the leader in improving child health, through patient care, research and education.
Contact Information
Jim Feuer, 513-636-5637,
jfeuer@chmcc.org
