Abused Mothers' Children Have A Higher Risk Of Becoming Obese By The Age Of Five

Editor's Choice
Main Category: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health;  Psychology / Psychiatry
Article Date: 08 Jun 2010 - 10:00 PDT


The children of mothers who reported being abused by their partner appear to have a higher risk of becoming obese by the time they are 5 years old, says a report in the June issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

The authors wrote that approximately 3 to 10 million children witness intimate partner violence - sexual, physical or psychological abuse by a former or current spouse or partner - each year.

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 the authors explained.

Renée Boynton-Jarrett, M.D., Sc.D., Boston University School of Medicine, USA, and team studied 1,595 children born between 1998 and 2000. Their mothers were interviewed when the children were born, and then again after 12, 36 and 60 months; children's height and weight were measured at 3 and 5 years.

49.4% of mothers reported some type of intimate partner violence, and 16.5% of children were obese when they were 5 years old. Children who were exposed to intimate partner violence were more likely to be obese at age 5 than those who had not been exposed. The link was stronger in girls than boys, and also among children whose mothers said they lived in less safe neighborhoods.

The findings persisted even when many proposed intermediary and potentially confounding factors - including obesity at age 3, television watching, depression among mothers, smoking during pregnancy and child birth weight - were considered in the analyses, the authors observed.

The researchers suggest that the link could work through several pathways:

First, if intimate partner violence influences maternal responsiveness to the socioemotional needs of the child, then feeding practices may be influenced. Second, witnessing family violence may be associated with emotional distress and emotion-focused coping using food to self-soothe and address negative emotions.

In addition, the disruption of the neuroendocrine system in early childhood could increase the risk for disordered eating and changes in fat storage and distribution.

The researchers concluded:

Medical and public health practitioners must consider the impact of family violence on obesity risk when designing and implementing primary obesity prevention interventions. Interventions to prevent intimate partner violence, particularly those aimed at educating adolescents about healthy relationships prior to childbearing, may play a crucial role in prevention of early childhood obesity. Moreover, interventions aimed at improving neighborhood safety may have a benefit on reducing childhood obesity risk, even among those exposed to family violence.

"Association Between Maternal Intimate Partner Violence and Incident Obesity in Preschool-Aged Children - Results From the Fragile Families and Child Well-being Study"
Renée Boynton-Jarrett, MD, ScD; Jessica Fargnoli, MPH; Shakira Franco Suglia, MS, ScD; Barry Zuckerman, MD; Rosalind J. Wright, MD, MPH
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2010;164(6):540-546.

Written by Christian Nordqvist
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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