Health Status of Postpartum Women: Bladder Symptoms, Postpartum Depression, and Physical Activity

Purpose: The overall purpose of this study was to determine the levels and the associations among postpartum health outcomes. The specific research objectives were as follows; first, to describe general and obstetric characteristics, secondly to describe the levels of the bladder syndrome, postpartum depression, physical activities and postpartum fatigue, thirdly to explain the differences of health outcomes at time-points. Lastly it was aimed to show the associations of the health outcomes.

Methods: Study design was a cross-sectional research at time-points of 4-, 8-, and 12 weeks to know the changes over the time. Ethical approval was obtained from IRB of SoonChunHyang University Chonan Hosptial. Recruitment of subjects was done by two ways. Main approach was done by using professional online survey organization, and another approach was one to one contact at the waiting area of the hospital and health center. After subjects answered, we gave the small first-aid kit to them. Total subject was 303 women, but we excluded twin mother and preterm labor, and finally we analyzed 290 subjects. Measurements we used in this research were the Interstitial Cystitis Symptom Index/ Interstitial Cystitis Problem Index (ICSI/ICPI), International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) short form, and Piper’s revised Fatigue Scale, etc. Cronbach’s alphas were .825 for ICSI/ICPI, .613 for IBS, .86 for the Edinbergh Postnatal Depression Scale, .778 for women’s health problem and .954 for postpartum fatigue.

 Results: The mean age of subjects was 32.9 (SD 3.53) and the mean BMI (body mass index) was 20.97 (SD 3.23). They got the prenatal care with the mean of 8.37 times. As shown table 1, health outcomes were all significantly different by the inter-subjects as shown table 1. the better physical health status, the lower the EPDS score. The higher physical health symptom scores, the higher bladder symptom scores (r=.317, p<.001). Also health outcomes had positively / negatively associated among themselves.

Conclusion: After women had a baby, their physical health symptom was decreased over the time,  and postpartum depression and fatigue were increased. So we have to aware of physical and psychological problems.

Table1. Subject’s Health outcomes

Item	Mean	SD	F	p
Health problems	20.74	5.89	59.92	.000
Postpartum Fatigue	87.89	18.21	82.21	.000
ICSI/ICPI	13.07	4.76	46.79	.000
ICSI	6.87	2.45	47.79	.000
ICPI	6.20	2.86	36.98	.000
Irritable Bowel Syndrome	17.82	4.38	69.36	.000
Postpartum depression	9.34	5.78	27.53	.000