ABSTRACT

This study assessed the association between postpartum depression, infant feeding practices, and infant nutritional status of lactacting mothers in Umuahia North Local Government Area, Abia State. The study adopted a cross-sectional design which included lactating mothers with infants (6-11 months old) in the study area. Multistage sampling technique was used to recruit 150 lactating mothers with infants 6-11 months of age which consented to participate in the study. A validated and semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect information on background and socio-economic characteristics of the lactating mothers, as well as the infant feeding practices, using breastfeeding and infant and young child feeding module. The Edinburgh postpartum depression scale was used to collect data on the mental health status of the lactating mothers. Weight and height measurement of both the lactating mothers and their infants were done using the standard procedure. Data collected on the background and socio-economic characteristics of the lactating mothers, as well as the anthropometric measurements of the lactating mothers was analyzed using the descriptive statistics (frequency and percentage) while the anthropometric status of the infants was compared using WHO- ANTHRO for child growth standard and then analyzed using frequecy and percentage. The infant minimum dietary diversity was evaluated using descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation), mental health status of the lactating mothers was assessed using descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, and mean), and the association between postpartum depression, infant minimum dietary diversity, and anthropometric status was examined using Pearson correlation analysis.The study revealed that; 12.0% of the lactating mothers were aged 20-24 years, while 88.0% were aged 25-49 years. About 51.3% of the mothers had tertiary education, and 2.7% had no formal education. The result showed that 45.3% of the infants met the minimum dietary diversity while 54.7% did not achieve with the minimum dietary diversity. Majority (71.3%) of the lactating mothers had low level of depressive symptoms while 28.7% had high level of depressive symptoms. Most (44.0%, 66.0%, 72.7%, 48.0% respectively) of the infants had normal length- forage, weight-for-age, weight-for-age and body mass index for-age. Also, 31.3% of the lactating mothers had normal body mass, while 44.7% and 24.0% of the lactating mothers were overweight and obesed, respectively. There was a positive association (P < 0.05) between postpartum depression and body mass index of mothers.The study underscores the importance of addressing the complex interplay between maternal nutrition, mental health, and infant feeding practices to promote optimal outcomes, emphasizing the need for early recognition, screening, and awareness of postpartum depression symptoms.