Citation

Mason SM, Ayour N, Canney S, Eisenberg ME, Neumark-Sztainer D. J. Womens Health (Larchmont) 2017; 26(6): 677-682.

Affiliation

1 Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota School of Public Health , Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Mary Ann Liebert Publishers)

DOI

10.1089/jwh.2016.5909

PMID

28075656

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Intimate partner violence (IPV) and obesity are national public health problems that are potentially associated. We examined the association between IPV exposure and 5-year weight gain in young women. We also examined whether depressive mood conferred additional increases in weight gain.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Analyses were conducted among women in Project EAT, a longitudinal cohort study of weight-related health, which has collected data at three 5-year survey waves: "EAT I" (mean age 15 years), "EAT II" (mean age 19 years), and "EAT III" (mean age 25 years). Height and body weight were self-reported at each survey wave. IPV victimization and depressive mood were assessed on the EAT II survey. The study comprised women with data on IPV and body mass index (BMI) (N = 619). Linear regression analyses examined (1) 5-year (EAT II to EAT III) BMI change as a function of IPV exposure and (2) 5-year BMI change as a function of depressive mood at EAT II in women with and without IPV exposure.

RESULTS: Almost 20% of the study sample reported IPV. Women exposed to both physical and sexual IPV at EAT II gained 1.1 kg/m(2) (95% CI -0.2 to 2.4) more, over 5 years, than women unexposed to IPV, although this did not reach statistical significance. Among those with IPV exposure, depressive mood at EAT II was associated with an additional increase in BMI of 1.8 kg/m(2) (95% CI 0.2-3.4) relative to no depressive mood.

CONCLUSION: Survivors of IPV with depressive mood may have accelerated weight gain. Trauma-informed obesity prevention strategies may be warranted in this group.

Language: en

Keywords

dating violence; depression; intimate partner violence; obesity; weight gain; women