Psychological and Behavioral Determinants of Dietary Patterns in Postpartum Women

Malaysia was ranked first among ASEAN countries for obesity prevalence, raising significant public health concerns. Postpartum women are particularly vulnerable to obesity and related psychological challenges, yet the complex interplay between postpartum depression, body mass index (BMI), lifestyle factors, and dietary behaviors remains insufficiently understood. This study introduces an innovative framework to examine how personal characteristics, lifestyle behaviors, BMI, and depression collectively shape healthy and unhealthy food consumption during the postpartum period. A structural equation modeling (SEM) approach, using maximum likelihood estimation, was applied to data from 623 postpartum women within their first year after childbirth. Depression emerged as the strongest predictor of unhealthy food consumption, with higher depressive symptoms corresponding to poorer dietary choices. Higher BMI was also significantly associated with increased intake of unhealthy foods. The model explained 75% of the variance in unhealthy food consumption and 61% in healthy food consumption. This study highlights the critical roles of depression and BMI in shaping postpartum dietary behaviors and provides important new insights into the behavioral mechanisms contributing to obesity among postpartum women. Given Malaysia's high obesity rates, these findings offer valuable directions for developing targeted interventions to promote healthier eating habits during the postpartum period.