Maternal mental health is associated with child undernutrition and illness in Bangladesh, Vietnam and Ethiopia

OBJECTIVE: We assessed associations of maternal common mental disorders (CMD) with undernutrition and two common illnesses in children aged 0-5 years. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. Maternal CMD was measured using the WHO Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20. Child undernutrition was defined as stunting, underweight or wasting. Child illnesses included diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections (ARI). Multivariate logistic regression was used to test these associations adjusting for confounders at child, maternal and household levels. SETTING: Bangladesh, Vietnam and Ethiopia. SUBJECTS: Mothers with children aged 0-5 years from 4400 households in Bangladesh, 4029 households in Vietnam and 3000 households in Ethiopia. RESULTS: The prevalence of maternal CMD was high, ranging from 31 % in Vietnam to 49 % in Bangladesh. Child undernutrition was more prevalent in…