The COVID-19 pandemic has meant that countless women have looked beyond traditional treatment options for postpartum depression, which at the time were more difficult to access, such as psychiatry and medication, and discovered that physical activity could be key to your improvement.
Along these lines, a new study from the Canadian Western University suggests that walking briskly, just 15 minutes a day, may be the answer for many women struggling with postpartum depression, although logically, some severe cases may still require traditional medical care.
Study advises women to walk at a “moderate intensity” of 90 to 120 minutes per week to reduce symptoms of postpartum depression
Unlike the so-called baby blues, postpartum depression can cause symptoms like severe mood swings, exhaustion, and even a feeling of hopelessness. In Canada alone, where the work has been done, around 23% of new mothers in Europe experience some of these symptoms, while recent studies in Europe and Asia indicate that this number has risen to nearly 30% during the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19.
This first-of-its-kind study, published today by the Journal of Women’s Health, was led by Western student Veronica Pentland and assistant professor Marc Mitchell of the College of Health Sciences. “Postpartum depression can have important effects on a woman’s mental health, but also on child development,” Pentland said. “If you’re depressed, it’s harder to take care of yourself and, by extension, your child.”
The pace of the walk must have a certain intensity
The study, which analyzed data from five research projects involving 242 participants, recommends that women walk at a “moderate intensity” of 90 to 120 minutes per week to reduce symptoms of postpartum depression.
“Walking is quite accessible and the best thing is that you can do it with your baby,” Mitchell said. “If you can go out three or four times a week for half an hour or even 15 minutes a day with your baby in a stroller, our findings show that it could make a big difference in how you feel.”
Mitchell, Pentland and their colleagues, including School of Health Sciences professor Michelle Mottola, found that walking resulted in clinically significant reductions in symptoms of postpartum depression, and these improvements were maintained even three months after mothers stopped their walking programs.
There are many barriers to accessing necessary treatment, especially for mental health, including social stigma, marginalization, and discrimination from communities of color; and wait times and the ongoing global pandemic have only made the situation worse, Pentland said. “Walking provides a treatment that bypasses many of these barriers. There couldn’t be a more relevant time for an accessible pathway to mental health treatments,” she said.
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