Season 4

CONTENT AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Iron deficiency is highly prevalent worldwide, in both high- and low-income settings. Low iron status during pregnancy has long been considered a risk factor for various adverse outcomes after birth, and recent evidence suggests a potential link between iron deficiency and postpartum depression.

Postpartum depression is a common problem, affecting more than 1 in every 10 women within a year of giving birth.

The association between iron deficiency and both prenatal and postpartum depression is unclear, but in this Journal Club session, we’ll discuss a case-control study examining the association between iron status and postpartum depression among women in the Gaza Strip, Palestine.

This session covers:

• Implications of iron deficiency during pregnancy and postpartum
• The context and generalisability of the findings
• How to critically appraise case-control research and communicate strengths and limitations

Expert speaker

Karen O’Callaghan
Lecturer in Nutritional Sciences, King’s College London, Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine

@KMOCallaghan

Dr Karen M. O’ Callaghan is a Lecturer in Nutritional Sciences at King’s College London. She completed her PhD at University College Cork (2017), after which she undertook a research fellowship within the Centre for Global Child Health at the Hospital for Sick Children (Toronto). Her research focuses on nutritional requirements for vitamin D during pregnancy and musculoskeletal health in early childhood.

Paper reference

Hameed, S., Naser, I., Al Ghussein, M., & Ellulu, M. (2022). Is iron deficiency a risk factor for postpartum depression? A case–control study in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. Public Health Nutrition, 25(6), 1631-1638. doi:10.1017/S1368980021003761

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/public-health-nutrition/article/is-iron-deficiency-a-risk-factor-for-postpartum-depression-a-casecontrol-study-in-the-gaza-strip-palestine/E10EA6924DC99258419BEFA3F6E8E81A

About Journal Club Chair, Dr Caroline Childs

@caroline.e.childs

Each Journal Club session is chaired by Dr Caroline Childs, Nutrition and Metabolism subject lead in Medicine at the University of Southampton. She received student-nominated awards for ‘most engaging lecturer’ and ‘best pastoral support’ and a colleague-nominated award for teaching excellence. Dr Childs is a Nutrition Society Ambassador and a South East Regional Representative for the Association for Nutrition.

As she says, “Developing skills in critical appraisal is an essential part of being a competent nutrition professional – whether you’re a dietitian, nutritionist or health professional specialising in nutrition.”

CPD CERTIFICATE & LEARNING MATERIALS

Once you have viewed a full recorded session the mynutriweb team will review and arrange to send you your certificate via email from hello@mynutriweb.com within two weeks of viewing the session.