RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Abused mothers tend to seek health care for their newborns while ignoring their own injuries, a study found.

The researchers said the findings show that pediatricians should ask women about domestic violence.

The study appears in Wednesday's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill interviewed 2,648 new mothers who agreed to participate in a survey of risks to the mothers and their babies before, during and after pregnancy.

In the study, 3.2 percent of the women said they were abused after birth. Of the abused women, about 75 percent were injured, but only 23 percent of that group received medical care. Yet almost all took their newborns for regular doctor visits.

``They were not tending to their own injuries, but they were making sure their own babies were healthy,'' said Sandra Martin, associate professor of maternal and child health at the UNC School of Public Health. ``We urge those clinicians to ask those women about violence in their lives and refer them to the appropriate violence-related services.''

Patty Neal Dorian, executive director of the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence, said the study proves what advocates have known for a long time.

``If pediatricians had not thought about it before - to ask women if they're victims of domestic violence - this will support their doing so,'' she said.

Dr. Steven Kairys, head of the committee on child abuse for the American Academy of Pediatrics, said his panel recommended several years ago that pediatricians screen for spousal abuse.

``The pediatrician is in a great position in terms of being respected by the family and being seen as an advocate by most parents to screen for this issue,'' Kairys said.

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