Browsing by Author "Leung, Brenda, M.Y."

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    Perinatal nutrition in maternal mental health and child development: Birth of a pregnancy cohort.
    (Elsevier, 2016-02) Giesbrecht, Gerald; Leung, Brenda, M.Y.; Letourneau, Nicole; Field, Catherine, J.; Bell, Rhonda, C.; Dewey, Deborah
    Background: Mental disorders are one of the leading contributors to the global burden of disease. The Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition (APrON) study was initiated in 2008 to better understand perinatal environmental impacts on maternal mental health and child development. Aims: This pregnancy cohort was established to investigate the relationship between the maternal environment (e.g. nutritional status), maternal mental health status, birth outcomes, and child development. The purpose of this paper is to describe the creation of this longitudinal cohort, the data collection tools and procedures, and the background characteristics of the participants. Subjects: Participants were pregnant women age 16 or older, their infants and the biological fathers. Outcome measures: For the women, data were collected during each trimester of pregnancy and at 3, 6, 12, 24, and 36 months after the birth of their infant. Maternal measures included diet, stress, current mental and physical health, health history, and lifestyle. In addition, maternal biological samples (DNA, blood, urine, and spot breast milk samples) were banked. Paternal data included current mental and physical health, health history, lifestyle, and banked DNA samples. For infants, DNA and blood were collected as well as information on health, development and feeding behavior. Results: At the end of recruitment in 2012, the APrON cohort included 2140 women, 2172 infants, and 1417 biological fathers. Descriptive statistics of the cohort, and comparison of women who stayed in the study and those who dropped out are discussed. Conclusion: Findings from the longitudinal cohort may have important implications for health policy and clinical practice.
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    Predictors of Postpartum Depression in Partnered Mothers and Fathers from a Longitudinal Cohort
    (Springer, 2016-11-08) Giesbrecht, Gerald; Leung, Brenda, M.Y.; Letourneau, Nicole, L.; Ntanda, Henry; Hart, Martha
    Postpartum depression (PPD) is a growing mental health concern in new mothers and fathers. The purpose of this study was to determine the predictors of depression at 3 months postpartum, comparing depressed couples to couples with only one depressed partner or no depressed partner, using data from the Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition study. Data from mothers and fathers were collected during the second trimester and at 3 months postpartum. Results showed predictors of PPD in mothers to be low household income, high prenatal depressive symptoms, and postnatally, low social support and higher number of stressful life events. Fathers had similar predictors, including low household income, high prenatal depressive symptoms, and postnatally low social support and smoking. Compared with non-depressed couples, factors that predicted PPD in both mothers and fathers in couples included low income, high prenatal depressive symptoms in mothers and low prenatal social support reported by fathers.