Child Physical Abuse, Non-anemic Iron Deficiency and Behavior Problems.
Naixue Cui, Xiaopeng Ji, Jianghong Liu
PMID 29223314WHAT IT FOUND
Children who reported physical abuse and had low iron without anemia showed more behavior problems than children with either risk alone.
Nurses seeing children with low iron may need to ask about abuse and nutrition together.
Key findings
01In the final sample of 314 children, more than one-third reported physical abuse, 17.5% had non-anemic iron deficiency, and 25 children had both.
02After controlling for hemoglobin, BMI and other factors, physically abused children were more likely to have non-anemic iron deficiency.
03Children with both physical abuse and non-anemic iron deficiency reported more behavior problems than children with neither risk, abuse only, or iron deficiency only.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study measured abuse, iron status and behavior at one time, so it cannot show which factor came first. Only 25 children had both physical abuse and non-anemic iron deficiency, so estimates of the combined effect are less stable. The analysis did not test whether the associations differ by sex. Only physical abuse and non-anemic iron deficiency were examined, while other risks such as neglect or multiple nutrient deficiencies were not assessed.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflict of interest. The supplied text does not report who funded the study.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that physical abuse causes low iron or behavior problems. The study measured these factors at one time, the group with both risks was small, and the authors state the associations cannot be interpreted as causal.