Adverse Childhood Experiences and Weight Status among Adolescents

Abstract

Objective To investigate the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and weight status among adolescents. Study design Data were drawn from the Minnesota Student Survey, a large (n = 105 759), statewide, anonymous survey of public school students in eighth, ninth, and eleventh grades. Self-reported height and weight were used to calculate body mass index. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine associations between selfreported ACEs and weight status, controlling for key sociodemographic characteristics. Results ACEs were positively associated with weight status; adolescents with more ACEs were more likely to have overweight, obesity, and severe obesity than adolescents with no ACEs. Adolescents who reported an ACE were 1.2, 1.4, and 1.5 times as likely to have overweight, obesity, and severe obesity, respectively, compared with their peers with no ACEs. There was no relationship between ACEs and underweight. Conclusions The results of this large sample of adolescents with anonymous data support the hypothesis that ACEs and obesity are strongly associated. The directionality of this relationship needs to be understood. Moreover, these findings suggest that child health professionals may need to screen for ACEs as an important aspect of clinical weight management.

Health and Adverse Childhood Experiences Among Homeless Youth

“…The finding that homelessness is associated with health problems is consistent with prior research, 24,25 and is the first to our knowledge to directly compare health between youth who were consistently housed and those who were homeless in the past year with family or unaccompanied. Similarly, the finding that health problems during adolescence are more prevalent with increasing ACEs aligns with research on pediatric obesity, behavioral health, and substance abuse, 13,26 as does the finding that health problems are associated with negative life events among young children experiencing concurrent family homelessness. [27][28][29] Our findings build upon this prior knowledge by establishing that ACEs and housing status pose independent and interacting problems for children's health.…”

“…Full details are described elsewhere. 13 In brief, for each ACE with two items, endorsement of either item was considered to indicate the presence of that ACE. 22 A count of the number of ACEs was calculated, ranging from 0 to 6 possible ACEs.…”

Health and Adverse Childhood Experiences Among Homeless Youth

“…Similarly, the finding that health problems during adolescence are more prevalent with increasing ACEs aligns with research on pediatric obesity, behavioral health, and substance abuse, 13,25 as does the finding that health problems are associated with negative life events among young children experiencing concurrent family homelessness. 26−28 Our findings build upon this prior knowledge by establishing that ACEs and housing status pose independent and interacting risks to children's health.…”

“…Full details are described elsewhere. 13 In brief, for each ACE with two items, endorsement of either item was considered to indicate the presence of that ACE. A count of the number of ACEs was calculated, ranging from 0 to 6 possible ACEs.…”

“…[10][11][12] For example, adolescents with ACEs are most likely to report poor overall health and are up to 1.5 times more likely to have obesity compared to peers without ACEs. 13,14 Another recent study of adolescents involved in the juvenile justice system found that youth with four or more ACEs experienced significant mental health symptoms; these symptoms were buffered by high levels of internal resilience, school connectedness, family communication, and peer role models. 15 The known associations between youth homelessness and stressors such as ACEs are especially notable given the high prevalence of youth homelessness; on a single night in 2018, at least 180,000 families with children and 36,000 unaccompanied youth in the United States experienced homelessness.…”