When treating obesity, new study suggests clinicians ask about child abuse and neglect

DENVER (July 12, 2024) − A new study co-authored by National Foundation to End Child Abuse and Neglect (EndCAN) co-founder Richard Krugman, MD, is part of an emerging field of work linking adult health conditions with abuse and neglect experienced in childhood.

Krugman, along with Carmelle Wallace, MD, published “More than What You Eat: A Review on the Association between Childhood Maltreatment and Elevated Adult BMI” in Springer Medizin. The experts in the field of child abuse and neglect suggest clinicians caring for adult patients who are overweight or obese ask questions about the individual’s past in a caring and sensitive manner.

“It can be as simple as asking about what creates stress or inquiring if the individual has been to therapy or struggled with mental health or substance use,” said Dr. Krugman. “These childhood experiences could relate to one’s current struggle with obesity.”

The authors go on to suggest that clinicians provide holistic care approaches to addressing weight.

Krugman is one of the preeminent experts and scholars in the field of child abuse and neglect and is a pediatrician and Distinguished University Professor at The Kempe Center. He co-founded EndCAN in 2018. Learn more at endcan.org

About EndCAN 

The National Foundation to End Child Abuse and Neglect (EndCAN) raises awareness of the health, mental health, and public health impacts of abuse. EndCAN focuses on funding research; investing in innovative child abuse prevention and treatment; and supporting a community for survivors. For more information, please visit endcan.org.