The issue of whether parents whose children are obese should be charged with neglect has fueled debate and generated controversi

admin2013-07-20  38

问题     The issue of whether parents whose children are obese should be charged with neglect has fueled debate and generated controversial court cases, but, according to an article published this week in British Medical Journal, so far there is little research analyzing negligence and obesity—and particularly whether obese children who are put into foster care better than they did with their parents—and a paucity (缺乏)of resources for health professionals attempting to determine what’s best for their young patients. Given the absence of in-depth analysis, the team of authors—including experts in child and adolescent health and psychiatry—suggest a way forward that attempts to distinguish when childhood obesity is a symptom of parental neglect or abuse.
    To begin with, the authors stress that obesity on its own should not necessarily ring child abuse alarms, nor should failure to help obese children shed excess weight. As the authors parse it, "a family with an obese child should not raise child protection concerns if obesity is the only cause for concern" but "clinicians should be mindful of the possible role of abuse or neglect in contributing to obesity." They point to research showing that children with strong family support can still struggle to lose weight, as well as mixed success of weight-loss programs run by professionals.
    Still, that’s not to say obesity isn’t often a symptom of problems at home. As the authors point out, there has been research suggesting a correlation between childhood abuse and obesity in adulthood, and a study of American school children found that, after controlling for socioeconomic status, those who were physically abused were more likely to be obese. Additionally, a growing body of research suggests that early decisions made by parents—even before conceiving as well as during pregnancy and infancy—can have a significant impact on their baby’s risk for obesity throughout childhood and later in life.
    So how can care providers determine when negligence or abuse is a cause of childhood obesity? The authors suggest that similar standards to other types of disease-related neglect be applied. That is, "parental failure to provide their children with adequate treatment for a chronic illness such as asthma (哮喘), diabetes, is a well accepted reason for a child protection registration for neglect" and as such, failure to adhere to obesity treatment—missing appointments, refusing to support children with treatment programs or actively undermining those programs—should convey neglect, especially among children who are at high risk for obesity-related conditions such as type 2 diabetes. Yet, the authors stress that having adequate evidence of this negligence is key. "Clear objective evidence of this behavior over a sustained period is required, and the treatment offered must have been adequate and evidence based. "
What conclusion was drawn from the study of American school children?

选项 A、Physically abused children were inclined to have extra weight.
B、Childhood abuse has no correlation with obesity in adulthood.
C、Mothers’ early decisions have no impact on children’s weight in adulthood.
D、School children lodging at school are more likely to be obese.

答案A

解析 推理判断题。第三段第二句前半句提到,已经有研究表明儿童时期遭受虐待和成年时期的肥胖存在着相互联系,后半句接着具体介绍了对美国在校儿童的研究结果,身体上遭受虐待的孩子更有可能变得肥胖。将这两句结合起来可知,对美国在校儿童的研究表明身体遭受虐待容易使孩子变得肥胖,由此确定A)为答案。
转载请注明原文地址:https://jikaoti.com/ti/j0bFFFFM
0

最新回复(0)