October 26, 2009
Childhood neglect, abuse linked to adult obesity
Childhood neglect and abuse can leave mental and physical scars, but a new study in the journal Obesity suggests there may also be a correlation between abuse and obesity. Researchers looked at court records of 410 children up to age 11 from 1967 to 1971 in a Midwest county who had court-substantiated cases of physical and sexual abuse and neglect. They were matched with 303 children of similar ages, sex, race and ethnicity and social class who had no abuse or neglect. On a follow-up of both groups about 30 years later, their body mass index scores were compared. Among whites, those who were abused and neglected overall and those who were physically abused had significantly higher BMI scores as adults than the control group. Childhood physical abuse predicted higher adult BMI scores even when controlling for other factors.
- Tribune Newspapers
Accidents at health clubs, gyms called infrequent
Despite several high-profile cases of gym mishaps involving notable athletes, including the Sacramento Kings' Francisco Garcia, accidents involving equipment in health clubs, gymnasiums and team weight rooms hardly are common, experts say. For every Garcia - the Kings' 6-foot-7 guard-forward who broke his right wrist Oct. 9 while hoisting dumbbells and had to undergo surgery after the ball he was sitting on burst - scores of exercisers daily bob upon such balls without incident. A 2000 article in the journal The Physician and Sports Medicine found that while minor injuries (soft-tissue related) jumped 35 percent from 1978 to 1998, 64 percent of all injuries were little more than bruises. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has reported that most weightlifting injuries occur at home.
- McClatchy Newspapers
