A recent study published in Behavioral Medicine (2022) examined the relationships among adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), childhood obesity, and modifiable lifestyle behaviors.
Using data from the 2016–2018 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH), the study found 25.3% of youth aged 10–17 years experienced one ACE with another 25.9% experiencing two or more ACEs.
Having ACEs was related to excess screen time and inadequate sleep, and independently associated with obesity.
These data highlight the need to address health behaviors such as screen time, physical activity, and sleep in youth prevention programs generally, and for youth screened for ACEs and obesity specifically.
Read the study abstract: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08964289.2022.2077294