Antenatal anxiety and depression are associated with dietary and physical activity: A cross-sectional evaluation for early pregnancy women in Guangzhou.

OBJECTIVE

Examined the associations of adherence to dietary guideline (ADG) and physical activity guideline (APAG) with antenatal anxiety and depression in Chinese early pregnancy women.

METHODS

A total of 657 pregnant women were evaluated before 20th gestation-week at a tertiary hospital in Guangzhou, by Chinese Dietary Guidelines Compliance Index for Pregnant Women (CDGCI-PW), IPAQ-SF, GAD-7, and PHQ-9. Multiple linear stepwise regression (MLSR), general linear models (GLM), restricted cubic spline (RCS), multinomial log-linear models (MLLM), and sensitivity analysis were conducted.

RESULTS

Among all participants, isolated moderate anxiety (IMA), isolated moderate depression (IMD), and depression comorbid anxiety (DCA) was 5.18 % (34), 3.65 % (24), and 5.78 % (38) respectively. APAG [β = -0.03/-0.05, 95 % CI: (-0.05, -0.01)/(-0.07, -0.04)], Spend sitting time (SST) [β = -0.15/-0.24, 95 % CI: (-0.29, -0.02)/(-0.36, -0.12)], ADG [β = -0.04/-0.05, 95 % CI: (-0.06, -0.03)/(-0.07, -0.04)], and food categories, staple food intake, eat lean meat, eat iodized table salt, times of eat iodine-rich seafood were inversely associated with anxiety/depression scores (all 95 % CIs of β < 0, p < 0.01). ADG or APAG scores had nonlinear association with IMD (p < 0.05). Below 60 % of ADG (OR = 13.35, 95 % CI: 3.08, 57.96) and below APAG recommendation (OR = 3.07, 95 % CI: 1.32,7.18) was 56.77 % (33) and 50.68 % (333) respectively and associated with DCA.

CONCLUSIONS

Poor dietary and physical activity were associated with anxiety/depression symptoms among early-pregnancy women in Guangzhou, underscored the importance of good quality diet and suitable exercise in maintaining mental health during pregnancy and highlighted the need for confirmatory research.