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Objective. The purpose of this study was to identify adverse health consequences that may co-occur with depression among black female adolescents. Methods. Adolescents were recruited from high-risk neighborhoods in Birmingham, Alabama. The sample comprised 460 black female adolescents (aged 14-18 years) who completed assessments at baseline and at 6 and 12 months. Only adolescents who consistently scored above the threshold for depression at all 3 assessments (n = 76) or below the threshold at all 3 assessments (n = 174) were included (N = 250) in the data analysis. Within this sample, adolescents who were depressed were compared with those who were not depressed with respect to the following health consequences: low self-esteem, emotional abuse, physical abuse, verbal abuse, poor body image, and antisocial behavior. Results. Using generalized estimating equations and controlling for covariates, depressed adolescents were 5.3 times more likely to report low self-esteem, 4.3 times more likely to report emotional abuse, 3.7 times more likely to report being physically abused, and almost 3 times as likely to report being verbally abused. Furthermore, depressed adolescents were more than twice as likely to report poor body image and nearly twice as likely to report engaging in antisocial behaviors. Conclusions. The findings suggest that a broad range of adverse health consequences may accompany depression among black female adolescents. Physicians need to be alert to the co-occurrence of depression and low self-esteem; emotional, physical, and verbal abuse; poor body image; and antisocial behaviors among this population. Pediatrics 2005;116:78-81; adolescent depression, adolescent health, adolescent sexual behavior, adverse outcomes, black. ABBREVIATIONS. CES-D, Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale; GEE, generalized estimating equations., One of the most consistent findings in the adolescent literature is the higher prevalence of depression among girls compared with boys. (1-5) Moreover, this gender difference in prevalence rates continues [...]

Factors affecting the prevalence of macrosomia (great body size at birth) in newborns of insulin-dependent diabetic mothers were studied. (In insulin-dependent diabetes, missing or defective insulin interferes with metabolism). The following were thought to predispose infants to macrosomia: increased maternal weight gain during pregnancy, increased number of births up to three, white race, increased maternal age, poor maternal control of blood sugar after the 20th week of pregnancy, and increased maternal insulin dosage. Advanced and long-standing diabetes were thought to reduce the likelihood of macrosomia. Macrosomia was thought to predispose infants to premature birth, asphyxiation during birth, birth injury, low blood sugar, too many oxygen-carrying red cells in the blood, and breathing problems. A total of 127 pregnancies were studied. Patients monitored their blood sugar at least twice daily in order to regulate their insulin doses. Blood glycohemoglobin, which is elevated in diabetics whose insulin levels are poorly controlled, was measured monthly. The time of the start of pregnancy was estimated from the development of the infant at birth (gestational age). Macrosomia was defined as a birth weight above the 90th percentile. Of infants born to mothers with insulin-dependent diabetes, 43 percent were large for their gestational age.