Association between cumulative exposure to adverse childhood experiences and childhood obesity. PLoS One 2020;15(9):e0239940
Date
09/30/2020Pubmed ID
32991598Pubmed Central ID
PMC7523986DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0239940Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85092144549 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 10 CitationsAbstract
BACKGROUND: Exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) is associated with many childhood diseases and poor health outcomes in adulthood. However, the association with childhood obesity is inconsistent. We investigated the association between reported cumulative ACE score and body mass index (BMI) in a large sample of patients at a single institution.
METHODS: This cross-sectional study included children aged 2-20 years that were screened in a general pediatrics clinic for ACEs utilizing the Center for Youth Wellness ACEs questionnaire between July 2017 and July 2018. Overall ACE score was categorized as 'no exposure' (score = 0), 'low exposure' (score = 1), and 'high exposure' (score≥ 2). BMI was categorized as overweight/obese (BMI percentile ≥ 85) or non-obese (BMI percentile < 85). The association between ACEs score and obesity was determined using univariate and multivariable logistic regression.
RESULTS: Of the 948 patients included in the study, 30% (n = 314) were overweight/obese and 53% (n = 504) had no ACE exposure, 19% (n = 179) had low ACE exposure, and 28% (n = 265) had high ACE exposure. High ACE exposure was associated with increased odds of obesity (OR = 1.47, 95%CI = 1.07-2.03, p = 0.026). However, after adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, insurance type, and birth weight, the association attenuated and was null (OR = 1.01, 95%CI = 0.70-1.46, p = 0.97).
CONCLUSION: The study findings may suggest an association between ACE and childhood obesity. However, the association attenuated after adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, insurance type, and birth weight. Larger prospective studies are warranted to better understand the association.
Author List
Purswani P, Marsicek SM, Amankwah EKAuthor
Ernest Amankwah PhD Director, Associate Professor in the Clinical and Translational Science Institute department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdolescentChild
Child, Preschool
Female
Humans
Male
Pediatric Obesity
Socioeconomic Factors
Young Adult