Overweight and obesity among maltreated young adolescents.

Purpose: (1) To identify and compare rates of body mass index (BMI)≥ 85% (overweight/obesity) and BMI ≥ 95% (obesity) in maltreated versus comparison young adolescents; (2) to determine whether demographic/psychological characteristics are related to high BMI; (3) to determine whether type of maltreatment is related to high BMI in maltreated young adolescents.

Methods: We compared a sample of maltreated young adolescents to a comparison sample of adolescents from the same neighborhood. The maltreated sample (n=303) of young adolescents (ages 9-12) came from referrals from the county child welfare department in Los Angeles, CA from new cases of maltreatment opened in specified zip codes. A comparison sample (n=151) was recruited from the same zip codes. The total sample (both maltreated and comparison) was 77% Black or Hispanic and 23% White or biracial with 53% males and 47% females. A stepwise logistic regression was used to examine predictors of high BMI with demographic/psychological covariates and maltreatment group. The maltreated young adolescents were selected and the logistic model included all covariates as well as an interaction between gender and each maltreatment type (neglect, sexual, and physical abuse).

Results: Maltreated young adolescents were similar to comparison adolescents in obesity prevalence (27.1% and 34.4%, respectively), although comparison young adolescents were 1.7 times more likely to have overweight/obesity than the maltreated young adolescents (95% CI=1.13-2.76). No demographic variables predicted high BMI. For the comparison young adolescents, depression slightly increased the odds of overweight/obesity (OR=1.08, 95% CI=1.01-1.15). Being neglected reduced the odds of being in the overweight/obesity and obesity group when combining genders. For females, but not males, sexual and physical abuse slightly reduced the odds of obesity.

Conclusions: Both the maltreated and comparison young adolescents had a high prevalence of overweight and obesity, which puts them at risk for health problems. Maltreatment reduced the odds of having a high BMI for adolescents in this study, which is opposite to research in adults. Further exploration of the mechanism of how maltreatment is related to weight as adolescents age, with specific emphasis on differences between genders, is needed.