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Objective:: To evaluate the association between dietary patterns and mental disorders among pregnant women in southern Brazil., Methods:: Cross-sectional study with 712 pregnant women recruited from the Study of Food Intake and Eating Behaviors in Pregnancy (ECCAGe). Food intake assessment was performed using the Food Frequency Questionnaire. Dietary patterns were identified by cluster analysis. The Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders (PRIME-MD) was used to evaluate participants' mental health. Poisson regression models with robust variance were fitted to estimate prevalence ratios (PR)., Results:: In the adjusted models, there was a high prevalence of major depressive disorder among women with low fruit intake (43%, PR 1.43, 95%CI 1.04-1.95) and high sweets and sugars intake (91%, PR 1.91, 95%CI 1.19-3.07). Women with a common-Brazilian dietary pattern had higher prevalence of major depressive disorder compared to those with a varied consumption pattern (PR 1.43, 95%CI 1.01-2.02). Low intake of beans was significantly associated with generalized anxiety disorder (PR 1.40, 95%CI 1.01-1.93)., Conclusions:: Low consumption of fruits and beans and intake of the common-Brazilian dietary pattern during pregnancy were associated with higher prevalence of mental disorders. These results reinforce the importance of an adequate dietary intake to ensure better mental health in pregnancy.

Objective: To assess eating disorder symptoms (EDS) from prepregancy through postpartum., Method: Seven hundred and twelve women with gestational age ranging from 16th to 36th week completed the eating disorder examination questionnaire (EDE-Q). A shortened version of the EDE-Q was used to assess, retrospectively, EDS during the last 28 days of the pregestational period. Follow up assessment occurred at the 4th-5th month postpartum (n = 427). Generalized structural equation models were used to estimate risk of EDS in pregestation, gestation, and postpartum., Results: Women who did not participate in follow up (n = 285) were not significantly different in sociodemographic characteristics. In postpartum, a higher number of women referred shape (RR = 1.65; 95% CI 1.19-2.30) and weight concerns (RR = 1.64; 95% CI 1.16-2.31) than in pregestation. Binge eating (BE) and self-induced vomiting diminished during pregnancy (RR = 0.70, 95% CI 0.57-0.85; RR = 0.21, 95% CI 0.10-0.44, respectively) and postpartum (RR = 0.62, 95% CI 0.48-0.80; RR = 0.38, 95% CI 0.19-0.76, respectively) compared with pregestation, Discussion: Shape and weight concerns are highly prevalent in postpartum and may confer risk for the development of inappropriate eating behaviors. Health professionals should be trained on how to recognize these symptoms., (Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Aim: To estimate the prevalence of violence, depressive symptoms, and associated factors during pregnancy in women attending antenatal care in Brazil., Methods: Violence was assessed using a modified version of the abuse assessment screen (ASS), and depressive symptoms were evaluated using the primary care evaluation of mental disorders (PRIME-MD). Participants were pregnant women attending 18 primary care units in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, between June 2006 and April 2007. A total of 712 pregnant women participated, but only 627 of them responded the ASS., Results: Experience of any lifetime violence was reported by 273 (43.4%) women and 114 (18.2%) reported violence during the current pregnancy. One-third of them (n = 211) reported lifetime domestic violence and 100 (15.9%) women reported this type of violence during the current pregnancy. Experience of domestic violence during pregnancy was more common in unemployed women, among those with two or more children, with a higher consumption of alcohol, and who had not planned their current pregnancy. Of the total of sample (n = 712), 198 (27.8%) women reported six or more depressive symptoms. The presence of depressive symptoms during pregnancy was associated with low educational levels, living in a household with five or more people, and with higher consumption of alcohol during pregnancy., Conclusion: Pregnant women attending primary care are exposed to high rates of domestic violence, and many have clinically relevant depressive symptoms. Appropriate interventions to avoid or minimize the effects of violence and mental disorders to the well-being of the mothers and their babies are urgently required. Primary care services play an important role in identifying and supporting women at risk.

Background: Woman's nutritional status, before and during pregnancy, is a strong determinant of health outcomes in the mother and newborn. Gestational weight gain and postpartum weight retention increases risk of overweight or obesity in the future and they depend on the pregestational nutritional status and on food consumption and eating behavior during pregnancy. Eating behavior during pregnancy may be the cause or consequence of mood changes during pregnancy, especially depression, which increases likelihood of postpartum depression. In Brazil, a study carried out in the immediate postpartum period found that one in three women experienced some type of violence during pregnancy. Violence and depression are strongly associated and both exposures during pregnancy are associated with increased maternal stress and subsequent harm to the infant. The main objectives of this study are: to identify food intake and eating behaviors patterns; to estimate the prevalence of common mental disorders and the experience of violence during and after pregnancy; and to estimate the association between these exposures and infant's health and development., Methods/design: This is a cohort study of 780 pregnant women receiving care in 18 primary care units in two cities in Southern Brazil. Pregnant women were first evaluated between the 16th and 36th week of pregnancy at a prenatal visit. Follow-up included immediate postpartum assessment and around the fifth month postpartum. Information was obtained on sociodemographic characteristics, living circumstances, food intake, eating behaviors, mental health and exposure to violence, and on infant's development and anthropometrics measurements., Discussion: This project will bring relevant information for a better understanding of the relationship between exposures during pregnancy and how they might affect child development, which can be useful for a better planning of health actions aiming to enhance available resources in primary health care.