Negative childhood experiences increase risk of obesity, UGA study shows

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In a new UGA study, children who reported adverse childhood experiences were more likely to have a higher BMI.

Credit: AP Photo/Patrick Sison

Childhood experiences, including abuse, financial hardship, and parental divorce may increase the risk of obesity in children, according to a study published by JAMA Network Open.

Researchers with University of Georgia’s College of Family and Consumer Sciences examined whether adverse childhood events, which are stressors or traumatic events that happen in childhood, are associated with not only how much a child weighs but also whether any protective factors that might decrease those associations, Shana Adise, who co-authored the study, said.

They used data from the ongoing ABCD Study that is following more than 12,000 children nationwide to observe how the brain develops and identify risks for substance abuse and mental illness. The information available to UGA did not include stresses related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"What we found is that, yes, having a stressful event in your life is correlated with how much you weigh," she said.  

Stressors can change the body, biologically and hormonally, in ways that can keep increasing weight gain risk, Adise said, but the study identified that, for Latinx and Hispanic youth, self-coping skills and caregiver support are two protective factors that could weaken those associations.

"Adolescence is a very critical time for increased risk for weight gain," she said. "So, understanding what factors increase that risk is important, and here, we think that adverse childhood experiences are one of those."

The study suggests that a simple questionnaire about experiences given at the pediatrician's office can help identify risks and intervene early.

"If the child's scoring high, we can maybe talk to the parent and say, 'Hey. You know, here are some resources that might be able to work to help your child maybe deal with stress, such as like teaching the child some abilities to self-regulate or cope,'" Adise said.