Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Violence Against Mothers Linked to Child Obesity
From American Medical Association (AMA)
Children whose mothers report being abused by their partners appear more likely to be obese at age 5. This risk for childhood obesity may be caused by a combined physiological and psychological response to witnessing violence in the home.
“Exposure to intimate partner violence in childhood is associated with altered neuroendocrine system profiles, impaired socioemotional development, cognitive functioning, attachment to caregivers and emotional regulation, and poorer physical and mental health,” say the authors of a study on intimate partner violence and childhood obesity in the JAMA/Archive journal Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
About 3 million to 10 million children witness intimate partner violence—physical, sexual or psychological abuse by a current or former partner or spouse—annually, according to background information in the article.
Renée Boynton-Jarrett, M.D., Sc.D., of the Boston University School of Medicine, and colleagues studied 1,595 children born between 1998 and 2000. The children’s mothers were interviewed when the children were born and again after 12, 36 and 60 months; children’s height and weight were measured at 36 months and five years.
About half—49.4 percent—of mothers reported some form of intimate partner violence, and 16.5 percent of children were obese at age 5. Children who were exposed to intimate partner violence were more likely to be obese at age 5 than those who were not exposed to any intimate partner violence. The association was stronger in girls compared with boys, and also among children whose mothers reported they lived in less safe neighborhoods.
Read the full article here.
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