(WXYZ) — In today’s Health Alert, more moms are having a tough time with both their mental and physical health. A new study shows a sharp rise in moms reporting fair or poor health, and fewer saying their health is excellent.
Let me start by saying that if you’re a mom who’s feeling overwhelmed or not quite like yourself…you are not alone.
This study surveyed nearly 190,000 moms between 2016 and 2023. Health was rated on a four-point scale, and the choices were ‘excellent’, ‘very good’, ‘good’, or ‘fair/poor’.
Now, here’s what the researchers found:
In 2016, about 4 in 10 moms said their mental health was excellent. By 2023, that dropped to just 1 in 4 or 25%. Also, more moms shifted into the “good” category, with numbers rising from 19% to 26%. What’s more, the number of moms rating their mental health as fair or poor jumped by 64%. That’s a sharp and concerning rise.
Physical health also followed a similar trend. 15% fewer moms reported that their physical health was excellent, and more rated it as simply “good.”
Of course, dads were included in the survey, too. Their numbers dipped a bit, but not as much. While about 1 in 12 moms said their mental health was fair or poor, for dads, it was 1 in 22.
Moms today are doing so much - working, raising kids, helping aging parents, and managing households. When moms struggle, the whole family can feel it. Poor mental health in moms has been linked to complications during pregnancy, delays in child development, and long-term health effects in their kids. It can cause a ripple effect that can last for generations.
Now, moms of all backgrounds are feeling this. But it’s hitting some harder, like single moms, those with less education, and moms whose kids have public insurance.
As for why this is happening, researchers point to several things: less access to care, more isolation, rising substance use, and stress from inflation, racism, gun violence, and even climate change. They say this lines up with rising rates of depression and anxiety in women of childbearing age.
So here’s my message for moms - you don’t have to do it all. Even small steps - like talking to someone, taking a few minutes for yourself, or asking for help - can make a big difference. Taking care of your health is part of caring for your family. Your health matters just as much as theirs.
