TRUCKEE, Calif. — A study by Yale University researchers published July 29 in the journal Pediatrics showed mothers who cannot afford diapers for their children are more likely to report symptoms of extreme stress or depression.

Parental mental health has a strong and often permanent effect on a child’s development. It can affect a child’s readiness for school and a child’s mental health well into adulthood.

“This research backs up what we have always observed,” said Cathy Fagan, founder of the Nevada County Diaper Project. “Parents want the best for their children. When they cannot meet a baby’s basic needs, it is devastating.”

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The Nevada County Diaper Project distributes a minimum of 4,000 diapers per month to families in need throughout Nevada County. There are distribution centers in Penn Valley, Grass Valley, Nevada City, and Truckee.

Find them at the Nevada County Health office or the Truckee Healthy Babies office, both upstairs in the Joseph Center, 10075 Levon Ave., Truckee (behind the Truckee Library).

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The Bank is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

The study was authored by Yale University Assistant Professor of Psychiatry Megan Smith, along with Joanne Goldblum and Alison Weir of the National Diaper Bank Network, and Anna Kruse.

Almost 30 percent of the pregnant and parenting women surveyed reported they did not always have enough diapers to change their children as frequently as they would like. The study included 877 low-income women. Certain groups of women were more likely to report difficulty obtaining diapers, including grandmothers who were raising children and Hispanic mothers, the study found.

Food stamps cannot be used to purchase diapers. They are not provided by Women Infants and Children (WIC). In most instances, the only place low-income families have to turn for assistance with diapers are nonprofit diaper banks like The Nevada County Diaper Project.

Learn more about this study at: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2013/07/23/peds.2013-0597.abstract

Support your local nonprofit diaper bank by sending a contribution to The Nevada County Diaper Project, P. O. Box 912, Penn Valley, CA 95946.

For more information visit http://www.nevadacountydiaperproject.org or e-mail ncdiaperproject@comcast.net.