Adverse childhood experiences and obesity over time

Objective: The effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACE) on children and adolescents' health status such as obesity are understudied. The current study addressed the effect of ACE on obesity status during childhood utilising multiple waves of national panel data. Design: Longitudinal survey. Setting: Data were drawn from three waves of the second cohort of the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW II). NSCAW II study sampled cases from Child Protective Services investigations that were closed between February 2008 and April 2009 nationwide. We measured ACE cumulatively and as separate events and stratified by gender. Participants: Totally, 3170 youth births to 14 years of age at baseline. Results: A count measure of ACE is indeed associated with greater odds of obesity during childhood. Differential effects for different types of ACE were also found, most notably neglect. For girls, physical and psychological neglect increased odds of obesity. Conclusions: Findings support evidence for the importance of using both a count measure of ACE as well as separating out single events by gender.