Dads get postpartum depression

Adapted from The Post's daily health blog.

We've all heard about new mothers experiencing depression after having a baby. But are new fathers prone to the blues, too? The answer appears to be yes, a new study says.

James Paulson of the Eastern Virginia Medical School analyzed data collected on 28,004 men who participated in 43 studies examining the question. In a paper published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, he and his fellow researchers report:

-- About 10 percent of fathers experience depression between the first trimester of their wife's pregnancy and the first year after the birth, compared with only about 4.8 percent of men in the general population.

-- Men were most likely to become depressed in the period three to six months after the baby's birth.

-- U.S. men were more likely than those in other countries to experience depression. The rate was 14.1 percent in the United States, compared with 8.2 percent internationally.

-- Rob Stein

The first lady's fries

The problem with being a public figure and commenting on what other people should and shouldn't eat is that your every statement is open to scrutiny, your own habits subject to challenge and your own body under the spotlight.

In the May issue of Good Housekeeping, first lady Michelle Obama talked about her signature campaign against childhood obesity, noting that it's good to "teach a kid that a carrot is important" but that this knowledge is useless to a child who "lives in a neighborhood where he has to commute five miles or 10 miles to buy a carrot." She then answered another set of questions about how she would celebrate Mother's Day:

Michelle Obama: It's my day. I get to do what I want. I get to choose what we have for dinner, or if we go out . . .

Good Housekeeping: So what do you choose?

MO: It could be fried chicken . . . fried chicken and french fries or greens or macaroni and cheese. But it could also be burgers and fries, or it could be . . .

GH: I see a pattern here: fries.

MO: Yes, I've got to get fries in there!

On one hand, I give Obama credit for her honesty, and I know that someone such as herself, who clearly maintains a healthful diet, can indulge in deep-fried, fat-filled foods on a special occasion.

But think of the message that sends about that carrot: She wants kids to learn to crave carrots, but her list of favorite foods doesn't include one. Instead, it's kind of a list of anti-carrots. Am I the only one who thinks this matters?

-- Jennifer LaRue Huget

kimk1 wrote: I think it is setting a good example to save treats like french fries for special occasions!

Janine1 wrote: Total consistency would be counterproductive to the message. If people think eating healthy means never indulging again, then most will decide it's not worth it.