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Family violence linked to obese children

The young children of mothers abused by their partners are at a higher risk of being obese. Preventing family violence and improving community safety could help reduce the incidence of childhood obesity.

Family violence linked to obese children

The young children of mothers abused by their partners are at a higher risk of being obese.

The more often the abuse occurs, the higher the risk that pre-school children, especially girls, will be obese and, as a result, have a higher risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, cancer and other illnesses, later in life.

Links between exposure to adversities in childhood and long-lasting emotional and health problems when they become adults have been established in numerous studies. To study the impact of family violence on obesity among children, the researchers studied 1,595 children born between 1998 and 2000 in America. The children's mothers were interviewed when the children were born and up until they reached 5 years of age. The children's height and weight was measured when they turned 3 and 5 years old. Most of the children were born to unmarried parents.

By the time the children were 5 years old, nearly half (788 or 50%) had been exposed to family violence and 263 children (almost 17% percent) were obese, meaning their body mass index (BMI) was higher than 95% of other children their age and sex in the general population.

It was found that children whose mothers reported being chronically abused by a partner were 80 percent more likely to be obese at age 5, compared to children whose mothers reported no abuse.  The association between exposure to domestic violence and obesity was stronger in girls than boys, and also among children whose mothers said they lived in less safe neighbourhoods. Studies have shown that children's weight is influenced by a number of factors including diet, time spent watching television, weight at birth, mother's depression, and smoking during pregnancy. The researchers took all these factors into account and found the association between obesity and exposure to domestic violence persisted.

This study shows that chronic domestic violence is associated with a higher risk of obesity among preschool-aged children. Preventing family violence and improving community safety could help reduce the incidence of childhood obesity.
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