Association between Maternal Depressive Symptoms with Overweight/Obesity among Children Aged 0-5 Years According to the 2016 Demographic and Family Health Survey.

Overweight and obesity among children under the age of 5 have become a public health problem. The worldwide prevalence is 4.9% and 6.0%, whereas in Peru it is 7.4% and 1.9%, respectively. The causes of these problems are multifactorial and must be studied to prevent the multiple consequences on children's health. Secondary data analysis of the 2016 Demographic and Family Health Survey (DHS). The sample size was 7935 children and their mothers. The dependent variable was childhood overweight/obesity, measured according to the Z-score of the BMI >2 standard deviation (SD), while the main independent variable consisted of the maternal depressive symptoms (DS) (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score >10 points). The software STATA/MP 14.0 was used for statistical analysis. The prevalence of overweight/obesity among children aged 0-5 years was 4.5% and the prevalence of moderate and severe maternal DS was 7.1%. No maternal depressive symptoms were found to be associated with the outcome [adjusted PR = 1.36 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.59-3.09  = 0.47]. An association was found between socioeconomic status (SES) Q3 (adjusted PR = 3.86 95% CI = 1.9-7.6  < 0.0001), Q4 (adjusted PR = 5.53 95% CI = 2.76-11.1  < 0.0001), Q5 (adjusted PR = 6.9 95% CI = 3.24-14.7  = < 0.0001), maternal BMI (adjusted PR = 1.06 95% CI = 1.03-1.08  < 0.0001), and cesarean delivery (adjusted PR = 1.42 95% CI = 1.01-1.99  = 0.042). No association was found between maternal depressive symptoms and overweight/obesity among children aged 0-5 years. The upper SES quintiles, maternal BMI, and cesarean delivery were associated with the outcome.