http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23937497

1 in 50 infants suffers abuse, government finds

Nearly a third were 1 week old or younger, first U.S. study reveals
The Associated Press
updated 12:10 p.m. ET April 3, 2008
ATLANTA - About 1 in 50 U.S. infants is a victim of nonfatal child abuse or
neglect in a year, according to the first national study of the problem in that
age group.

The study focused on children younger than 1 year, and found nearly a third were
one week old or younger when the abuse or neglect occurred.

"It is a particularly vulnerable group," said study co-author Rebecca Leeb, of
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"We were struck by the fact there was a clustering of maltreatment with the
very, very early age group."

The researchers counted more than 91,000 infant victims of abuse and neglect in
the period Oct. 1, 2005 to Sept. 30, 2006.

The information came from a national data base of cases verified by protective
services agencies in 45 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

Other studies have looked at national child abuse and neglect cases, but this is
believed to be the first to focus on infants, said Leeb, a CDC epidemiologist.

The 91,000 infants were age 1 year or younger. About 30,000 of those cases were
infants aged one week or younger. About 68 percent of those cases were
attributed to neglect.

Not about rookie mistakes
Federal officials define neglect as a failure to meet a child's basic needs
including housing, clothing, feeding and access to medical care. But the counted
cases did not include new parents stumbling their way through breast-feeding or
making other rookie mistakes.

"Things like abandonment and newborn drug addiction would qualify as neglect,
not things like parents learning how to be parents," Leeb said.

Medical professionals identified about 65 percent of the maltreated newborns to
protective services staff. The others came from law enforcement, relatives,
friends, neighbors and from protective services staff.

The results mirror what a study in Canada found, Leeb said.

The CDC collaborated on the study with the federal Administration for Children
and Families.


© 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23937497/


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