Adverse childhood experiences, such as physical or sexual abuse, parental divorce, socioeconomic hardship, neglect or bullying, may increase the risk of obesity in children, according to new University of Georgia research. But for certain populations, a caring presence in their lives could counteract those effects.
Published by JAMA Network Open, the study suggests that caregiver support and self-coping skills are associated with lowering body mass index among Hispanic children who have experienced high levels of adverse experiences, a finding that could point to solutions for other struggling children.
"These stressors can change the body, biologically and hormonally, in ways that can keep increasing weight gain risk," said Shana Adise, corresponding author of the study and an assistant professor in the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences. "Adolescence is a very critical time for increased risk for weight gain. So, understanding what factors increase that risk is important, and here, we think that adverse childhood experiences are one of those."
3 out of 4 youth reported at least one adverse experience
The researchers relied on data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study dataset, the largest long-term study of brain development and child health in the United States.
The present study analyzed data from more than 5,400 11-year-olds and 12-year-olds across 21 locations.
The researchers found that three out of four children identified at least once adverse experience in their life - a number much higher than anticipated.
In this study, children who reported adverse childhood experiences were more likely to have a higher BMI. In fact, each increase of about two adverse experiences was associated with a nearly half-point increase in BMI.
"There are so many factors in a child's life that influence weight gain, and our study shows that stressful or traumatic experiences can intensify that risk," said Dr. Victoria Goldman, lead author of the study and a fellow in pediatric endocrinology at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. "Understanding this may help in addressing rising obesity rates while also reducing stigma."
Hispanic youth more likely to be classified as overweight or obese
The study found about one in two Hispanic youth could be classified as overweight or obese compared to about 30% of their non-Hispanic peers.
One of the reasons may be because Hispanic youth are disproportionately affected by negative childhood experiences, the researchers said. More than 83% of Hispanic youth reported an adverse childhood experience. About 72% of non-Hispanic children said they'd experienced at least one.
These negative experiences could have health implications, such as contributing to excess weight gain.
"When you are stressed out, you may want to eat that piece of cake because it makes you feel better," Adise said. "However, there is also a biological mechanism that is driving this behavior. For example, stress causes you to eat more, especially more calorically dense foods."
Supportive environment can mitigate health effects of negative experiences for Hispanic youth
Hispanic children who had greater healthy coping skills, such as problem solving, or who said they had at least one caring adult in their lives had lower BMIs, even if they experienced high levels of adversity. This highlights how a supportive environment can help reduce the negative health impacts of adverse childhood experiences.
"It probably doesn't even need to be a parent or caregiver in the home," Goldman said. "Whether it's a teacher, a coach or someone else, this can have a really big impact on how a kid does when they just have at least one supportive, stable adult who's there."
The study points to a need for clinicians to screen for adverse childhood experiences as part of physicals in youth and address risk factors early on, the researchers said.
"We don't want these kids to turn into early adults who have a range of medical problems that we missed," Adise said. "Clinical screenings provide a window of opportunity that could prevent this. If a child screens high for these experiences, we can ask: 'What support does this family need right now? How can we get them that support?'
"Just one small difference may have a large impact on the health of these kids."
