Weight change of infants, age birth to 12 months, born to abused women.

Abstract

Abuse to pregnant women can affect maternal health and infant birthweight. To examine the rate of weight change among infants, ages birth to 12 months, born to women abused by the male intimate, an ethnically stratified cohort of 121 infants and their mothers were followed. Infants were weighed on a beam balance scale at birth, 6, and 12 months of age. At the same time, abused mothers were asked if the abuse had ended. Rate of change in infant weight was calculated for birth to 6 months and 6 months to 1 year. The rate of change in infant weight from birth to 6 months did not differ significantly based on whether or not the mother reported that the abuse had ended by 6 months or 12 months. However, the rate of change in infant weight from 6 to 12 months was significantly greater (p = .046) for those infants whose mothers reported the abuse had ended by 12 months and even greater (p = .019) if the mother reported that the abuse had ended by 6 months. When controlling for ethnicity and parity, abuse ending at 6 months was a significant (p = .029, r2 = .102) predictor of the rate of infant weight change from 6 to 12 months. To maximize infant growth and the health and wellbeing of mother and child, routine screening and intervention for abuse of women is recommended during child health visits.

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