Child Maltreatment’s Heavy Toll: The Need for Trauma-Informed Obesity Prevention

Authors

Susan M. Mason, University of Minnesota
S. Bryn Austin, Harvard University
Jennifer L. Bakalar, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Renee Boynton-Jarrett, Boston University
Alison E. Field, Harvard University
Holly C. Gooding, Harvard University
Laura M. Holsen, Harvard University
Benita Jackson, Smith CollegeFollow
Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, University of Minnesota
Mar Sanchez, Emory University
Stephanie Sogg, Harvard University
Marian Tanofsky-Kraff, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Janet W. Rich-Edwards, Harvard University

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-2016

Publication Title

Am J. Prev Med.

Abstract

This paper is the product of a workshop on the topic of child maltreatment and obesity at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard that brought together the listed authors, who are experts across a number of relevant fields.

Emerging research has highlighted childhood maltreatment and other psychological traumas as risk factors for obesity and related comorbidities.1–3 Although the high rate of obesity in the U.S. affects the entire population, those with histories of maltreatment—making up at least 30% of the population4,5—appear to be at greater risk. Unfortunately, childhood maltreatment is often overlooked as a risk factor for adult obesity, and efforts to prevent and treat obesity underutilize promising trauma-informed approaches. Likewise, clinical care for psychological trauma has unrealized potential as an opportunity for obesity prevention. The aims of this paper are to:

1. raise awareness of the prevalence of childhood maltreatment;

2. present current evidence of the child maltreatment–obesity association;

3. highlight existing research on mechanisms; and

4. suggest areas for additional research, including trauma-informed obesity interventions that

   Although this paper focuses on childhood maltreatment, particularly physical and sexual abuse, the presented information is potentially relevant to other types of early trauma, such as community violence and peer bullying.

Volume

50

Issue

5

First Page

646

Last Page

649

DOI

10.1016/j.amepre.2015.11.004

Rights

Licensed to Smith College and distributed CC-BY under the Smith College Faculty Open Access Policy.

Comments

Peer reviewed accepted manuscript.

Recommended Citation

Mason, Susan M.; Austin, S. Bryn; Bakalar, Jennifer L.; Boynton-Jarrett, Renee; Field, Alison E.; Gooding, Holly C.; Holsen, Laura M.; Jackson, Benita; Neumark-Sztainer, Dianne; Sanchez, Mar; Sogg, Stephanie; Tanofsky-Kraff, Marian; and Rich-Edwards, Janet W., "Child Maltreatment’s Heavy Toll: The Need for Trauma-Informed Obesity Prevention" (2016). Psychology: Faculty Publications, Smith College, Northampton, MA.
https://scholarworks.smith.edu/psy_facpubs/3