Objective  To investigate interactive effect between maternal postpartum depression (PPD) and gestational weight gain (GWG) on childhood obesity.

  Methods  A total of 417 mother-infant dyads were recruited from two hospitals in Zhuhai city from January 2014 to February 2015 and successfully tracked from early pregnancy to one year old of the infants. A questionnaire survey was administered to obtain social-demographic information and body height and weight were taken through physical measurement. PPD was assessed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Logistic regression model was used to analyze the interactive effect between PPD and GWG on overweight and obesity (OWO) at age one.

  Results  Multivariate logistic regression models revealed that PPD increased the risk of OWO in the first year after adjusting for confounders (odds ratio OR = 1.87, 95% confidence interval 95% CI: 1.01 – 3.47); compared with postpartum non- depression and inadequate/adequate gestational weight, PPD and excess gestational weight gain can synergistically increase the risk of OWO in the first year (OR = 4.33, 95% CI: 1.76 – 10.67). An interaction between PPD and GWG was detected (OR = 3.48, 95% CI: 1.50 – 8.10).

  Conclusion  The combination of PPD and excess GWG may be associated with a greater risk of offspring obesity. Therefore, effective control of the GWG and prevention of maternal PPD can be beneficial in preventing early childhood OWO.