The Impact of Maternal Nutrient Status During Pregnancy on Maternal Mental Health and Child Development
The problem
Nutrients are essential for brain growth and development, as well as for good physical and mental health. It is often assumed that people living in developed countries have adequate nutrient intake, yet deficiencies are extremely common. The impact of poor diet is magnified by pregnancy, when a woman's nutrient needs increase and the fetus depletes maternal reserves. Studies have also implicated the lasting effects of the uterine environment on health of the fetus, long after birth. Previous research has also demonstrated an association between nutrient inadequacies and mental health.
The team
This team of 16 researchers from the University of Calgary, the University of Alberta, and the University of Tilburg (Netherlands) will bring expertise from eight different disciplines to bear on this problem.
The plan
The team wants to find out to what extent a woman's diet affects her mental health, her ability to nurture her infant, as well as the actual growth and development of her baby. They will recruit 10,000 pregnant women in their first trimesters in Calgary and Edmonton to follow them throughout their pregnancies. The team will:
- Assess the women's nutrient intake and nutrient status throughout pregnancy;
- Evaluate their mental health throughout pregnancy and the postpartum period;
- Examine the birth outcome and neonatal variables of the babies, including birth defects;
- Evaluate the babies' physical and mental development regularly up to the age of 3 years.
The outcomes
This knowledge will result in recommendations for new health policies to improve maternal and infant health.