Health education and postpartum depression: exploring associations in clinical data

Postpartum depression is a common maternal mental health condition. Existing treatments, such as cognitive behavioral therapy and pharmacological interventions, often face challenges related to cost, accessibility, and acceptability, particularly among breastfeeding mothers.

This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary health education (iHealth) in reducing postpartum depression and anxiety while enhancing the quality of life among primiparous women.

This retrospective study, conducted on 192 puerperal women who delivered between January 2020 and December 2021, including 95 in the control group and 97 in the iHealth group. The inclusion criteria were primiparas aged 18-35, with delivery type (vaginal/instrumental/cesarean), 38-42 weeks' gestation, and infant APGAR ≥8, while those with a history of mental illness were excluded. The sample size (≥64/group) was estimated via independent samples t-test (Cohen's d=0.5, 80% power, α=0.05). The control group received regular standard health guidance, while the iHealth group additionally received a multidisciplinary health education program via the "iHealth" app (3 times/week, 1h/session, ≥2 months, with reminders), led by a team of doctors, nurses, nutritionists, and psychologists. Blinded psychologists collected data on maternal psychological status-assessed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and Short Form-12 (SF-12)-at 3 days (baseline), 6 weeks, and 3 months postpartum, with data analyzed using Mann-Whitney, Student's t or Chi-square tests for group comparisons.

The iHealth group exhibited significantly lower EPDS and STAI scores compared to the control group at both six weeks and three months postpartum. Additionally, the iHealth group demonstrated significantly higher SF-12 scores at these time points, reflecting improved quality of life.

The multidisciplinary health education significantly improved postpartum mental health and enhanced the quality of life for new mothers.