Abuse and Obesity

There are many risk factors for childhood obesity. A new study adds family violence to the growing list.
The study examined nearly 1600 children who were born between 1998 and 2000. Each child's mother, most of whom were unmarried, was interviewed periodically from the time of birth through the child's fifth birthday. The height and weight of the child was measured at ages 3 and 5. Nearly half of the children in the study had been exposed to family violence by the age of 5, and more than 16 percent of those children had become obese. In comparison, only 11 percent of children in the general population are considered to be obese based on their body mass index.
Researchers found that children whose mothers are abused by their

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