Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Relationship of Abuse History and Other Risk Factors with Obesity Among Female Gastrointestinal Patients

  • Published:
Digestive Diseases and Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Little is know about the relationship of abuse history and other risk factors with being overweight and obese among gastrointestinal patients. The purpose of this study was to assess the relative risk of abuse history on being overweight and obese among 239 female gastrointestinal patients. Forty-one percent of the patients were found to be overweight or obese, 49% reported a history of physical abuse, and 42% had a sexual abuse history. A history of physical abuse (odds ratio = 1.34, P<0.03), being nonwhite (odds ratio = 2.66, P<0.01), being older (odds ratio = 1.03 for each year older, P<0.02), and having fewer years of schooling (odds ratio = 1.11, P<0.05) were found to be strongly associated with being overweight and/or obese. Among the female patients referred for gastrointestinal disorders at a university-based gastrointestinal clinic, a high proportion was overweight or obese. Physical abuse history and several demographic factors were significantly related to being overweight and obese in this clinical population.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  1. Must A, Spadano J, Coakley EH, Field AE, Colditz G, Dietz WH: The disease burden associated with overweight and obesity. JAMA 282:1523–1529, 1999

    Google Scholar 

  2. Allison DB, Fontaine KR, Manson JE, Stevens J, VanItallie TB: Annual deaths attributable to obesity in the United States. JAMA 282:1530–1538, 1999

    Google Scholar 

  3. Wolf AM, Colditz GA: Current estimates of the economic cost of obesity in the United States. Obes Res 6:97–106, 1998

    Google Scholar 

  4. Mokdad AH, Ford ES, Bowman BA, Nelson DE, Engelgau MM, Vinicor F, Marks JS: The continuing increase of diabetes in the US. Diabetes Care 24:412, 2001

    Google Scholar 

  5. Mokdad AH, Serdula MK, Dietz WH, Bowman BA, Marks JS, Koplan JP: The spread of the obesity epidemic in the United States, 1991-1998. JAMA 282:1519–1522, 1999

    Google Scholar 

  6. Felitti VJ: Long-term medical consequences of incest, rape, and molestation. South Med J 84:328–331, 1991

    Google Scholar 

  7. Felitti VJ: Childhood sexual abuse, depression, and family dysfunction in adult obese patients: A case control study. South Med J 86:732–736, 1993

    Google Scholar 

  8. Sansone RA, Sansone LA, Fine MA: The relationship of obesity to borderline personality symptomatology, self-harm behaviors, and sexual abuse in female subjects in a primary-care medical setting. J Person Disord 9:254–265, 1995

    Google Scholar 

  9. Wiederman MW, Sansone RA, Sansone LA: Obesity among sexually abused women: As adaptive function for some? Women Health 29:89–100, 1999

    Google Scholar 

  10. Kenardy J, Ball K: Disordered eating, weight dissatisfaction and dieting in relation to unwanted childhood sexual experiences in a community sample. J Psychosom Res 44:327–337, 1998

    Google Scholar 

  11. Grilo CM, Masheb RM: Childhood psychological, physical, and sexual maltreatment in outpatients with binge eating disorder: frequency and associations with gender, obesity, and eating-related psychopathology. Obes Res 9:320–325, 2001

    Google Scholar 

  12. Drossman DA, Talley NJ, Leserman J, Olden KW, Barreiro MA: Sexual and physical abuse and gastrointestinal illness. Review and recommendations. Ann Intern Med 123:782–794, 1995

    Google Scholar 

  13. Drossman DA: Physical and sexual abuse and gastrointestinal illness: what is the link? Am J Med 97:105–107, 1994

    Google Scholar 

  14. Drossman DA: Sexual and physical abuse and gastrointestinal illness. Scand J Gastroenterol Suppl 208:90–96, 1995

    Google Scholar 

  15. Drossman DA: Irritable bowel syndrome and sexual/physical abuse history. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol 9:327–330, 1997

    Google Scholar 

  16. Drossman DA, Leserman J, Nachman G, Li ZM, Gluck H, Toomey TC, Mitchell CM: Sexual and physical abuse in women with functional or organic gastrointestinal disorders. Ann Intern Med 113:828–833, 1990

    Google Scholar 

  17. Drossman DA, Li Z, Leserman J, Toomey TC, Hu YJ: Health status by gastrointestinal diagnosis and abuse history. Gastroenterology 110:999–1007, 1996

    Google Scholar 

  18. Drossman DA, Leserman J, Li Z, Keefe F, Hu YJ, Toomey TC: Effects of coping on health outcome among women with gastrointestinal disorders. Psychosom Med 62:309–317, 2000

    Google Scholar 

  19. Leserman J, Li Z, Drossman DA, Hu YJ: Selected symptoms associated with sexual and physical abuse history among female patients with gastrointestinal disorders: The impact on subsequent health care visits. Psychol Med 28:417–425, 1998

    Google Scholar 

  20. O'Neil PM, Jarrell MP: Psychological aspects of obesity and very-low-calorie diets. Am J Clin Nutr 56:185S–189S, 1992

    Google Scholar 

  21. Fitzgibbon ML, Kirschenbaum DS: Heterogeneity of clinical presentation among obese individuals seeking treatment. Addict Behav 15:291–295, 1990

    Google Scholar 

  22. Fitzgibbon ML, Stolley MR, Kirschenbaum DS: Obese people who seek treatment have different characteristics than those who do not seek treatment. Health Psychol 12:342–345, 1993

    Google Scholar 

  23. Faith MS, Allison DB: Assessment of psychological status in obese persons. In Body Image, Eating Disorders, and Obesity: A Practical Guide for Assessment and Treatment. JK Thompson (ed). Washington, DC, American Psychological Association, 1996, pp 365–387

    Google Scholar 

  24. Leserman J, Li Z, Drossman DA, Toomey TC, Nachman G, Glogau L: Impact of sexual and physical abuse dimensions on health status: Development of an abuse severity measure. Psychosom Med 59:152–160, 1997

    Google Scholar 

  25. World Health Organization (WHO): Obesity: preventing and managing the global epidemic. Report of a WHO Consultation on Obesity, Geneva, 3-5 June 1997. Geneva, WHO, 1998

    Google Scholar 

  26. Rosenstiel AK, Keefe FJ: The use of coping strategies in chronic low back pain patients: Relationship to patient characteristics and current adjustment. Pain 17:33–44, 1983

    Google Scholar 

  27. Keefe FJ, Brown GK, Wallston KA, Caldwell DS: Coping with rheumatoid arthritis pain: catastrophizing as a maladaptive strategy. Pain 37:51–56, 1989

    Google Scholar 

  28. Keefe FJ, Williams DA: Acomparison of coping strategies in chronic pain patients in different age groups. J Gerontol 45:P161–P165, 1990

    Google Scholar 

  29. Talley NJ, Fett SL, Zinsmeister AR: Self-reported abuse and gastrointestinal disease in outpatients: Association with irritable bowel-type symptoms. Am J Gastroenterol 90:366–371, 1995

    Google Scholar 

  30. Walker EA, Katon WJ, Roy-Byrne PP, Jemelka RP, Russo J: Histories of sexual victimization in patients with irritable bowel syndrome or inflammatory bowel disease. Am J Psychiatry 150:1502–1506, 1993

    Google Scholar 

  31. Delvaux M, Denis P, Allemand H: Sexual abuse is more frequently reported by IBS patients than by patients with organic digestive diseases or controls. Results of a multicentre inquiry. French Club of Digestive Motility. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol 9:345–352, 1997

    Google Scholar 

  32. Scarinci IC, McDonald-Haile J, Bradley LA, Richter JE: Altered pain perception and psychosocial features among women with gastrointestinal disorders and history of abuse: A preliminary model. Am J Med 97:108–118, 1994

    Google Scholar 

  33. Laws A: Sexual abuse history and women's medical problems. J Gen Intern Med 8:441–443, 1993

    Google Scholar 

  34. King TK, Clark MM, Pera V: History of sexual abuse and obesity treatment outcome. Addict Behav 21:283–290, 1996

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rehabilitation Outcomes Research Center, VA Medical Center, Gainesville, Florida, USA

    Huanguang Jia

  2. Global Outocomes Research, Pharmacia Corporation, Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA

    Jim Z. Li

  3. Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA

    Jane Leserman

  4. Division of Digestive Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA

    Yuming Hu & Douglas A. Drossman

Authors
  1. Huanguang Jia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jim Z. Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jane Leserman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Yuming Hu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Douglas A. Drossman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Jia, H., Li, J.Z., Leserman, J. et al. Relationship of Abuse History and Other Risk Factors with Obesity Among Female Gastrointestinal Patients. Dig Dis Sci 49, 872–877 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:DDAS.0000030102.19372.52

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:DDAS.0000030102.19372.52

Search

Navigation