Creating a Healthier Future through Prevention of Child Maltreatment

Beyond the inherent moral implications, child abuse is a crime, a tragedy, and a significant public health burden. In the United States, approximately 1 in 5 children have experienced some form of maltreatment, including physical and sexual abuse and the often overlooked danger of neglect. Child maltreatment results in over 1,700 deaths each year; however, the negative health effects reach well beyond these fatalities. In addition to physical injuries, maltreatment causes stress that can disrupt brain development. Thus, children who are maltreated are at higher risk for adult health problems such as alcoholism, smoking, depression, drug abuse, obesity, high-risk sexual behaviors, suicide, and certain chronic diseases.

This session of Public Health Grand Rounds focused on the epidemiology and costs of child maltreatment, the need for partnerships, and the potential for policy interventions to combat this urgent public health issue.