2010 to 2021 Saw Rise in Postpartum Depression

FRIDAY, Nov. 22, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Diagnosis of postpartum depression increased significantly across all racial and ethnic groups and body mass index categories over the past decade, according to a study published online Nov. 20 in JAMA Network Open.

Nehaa Khadka, Ph.D., from Kaiser Permanente Southern California in Pasadena, and colleagues evaluated recent trends in postpartum depression to see how these trends are associated with race, ethnicity, and prepregnancy body mass index. The analysis included electronic health record data, with live and stillbirths at ≥20 weeks of gestation, for 442,308 pregnancies with delivery between 2010 and 2021.

The researchers found that postpartum depression prevalence doubled during the study period, increasing from 9.4 percent in 2010 to 19.0 percent in 2021. There were differences seen in increase by race and ethnicity, with the largest increases among Asian and Pacific Islander participants (280 percent increase) and non-Hispanic Black women (140 percent increase). Across body mass index categories, PPD rates increased, particularly among individuals with obesity (class I) and morbid obesity (class II/III).

“While rising PPD may reflect improved screening and diagnosis practices, the persistently high rates highlight the need to develop and implement interventions to prevent the condition while expanding efforts to mitigate the impact of PPD on maternal and child health,” the authors write.

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