Associations between pregnancy-related anxiety and positive health behaviors across pregnancy in a sample of low-income, vulnerable women.

This was an observational study, so it cannot show that pregnancy-related anxiety caused lower health behaviours. The significant association was at the first interview, not across pregnancy. The mental health groups were based on questionnaire cutoffs, not clinical diagnoses. The negative health behaviours subscale was excluded because its internal consistency was poor, so the paper cannot speak to harmful behaviours. The sample was limited to birthing mothers and did not assess social support or maternal-fetal attachment. The sample was low-income and had high exposure to intimate partner violence and mental health symptoms, so findings may not apply to other pregnant populations.

The study was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health grant R01HD085990. The supplied text does not include a separate conflicts of interest declaration.

Do not read this as evidence that reducing pregnancy-related anxiety will improve diet, sleep or exercise in pregnancy. No intervention was tested, the association was only at the first interview, and it was limited to women with high depression, state anxiety or PTSD symptoms.