Adverse Childhood Experiences and Obesity Among Young Children with Neurodevelopmental Delays

Very little research has explored the complex relation between ACEs, poverty, and obesity in young children with neurodevelopmental delays. The purpose of this study was to examine whether ACEs predicted overweight/obesity in young children with neurodevelopmental delays after income was taken into account, and to examine the extent to which poverty moderated the relation between ACEs and overweight/obesity.

Participants were 180 children between the ages of 2 and 7 who were referred for a developmental and behavioral pediatrics evaluation (mean age 4.5 years old; 76% male) in the northeast United States. Parents completed a survey about their child's ACEs, and an electronic health record review was conducted.

ACEs did not directly predict obesity after income was taken into account. However, poverty moderated the relation between ACEs and obesity, such that when children experienced no ACEs, there was no difference in the rates of obesity between children above and below the poverty threshold. Among children who did experience ACEs, children who also lived in poverty had higher rates of obesity than children who did not live in poverty.

Children with neurodevelopmental delays are at greater risk for overweight/obesity if they experience both risk factors of being in poverty and of experiencing ACEs. When conducting screenings, providers should understand that the impact of ACEs may vary by contextual factors such as poverty. More research is needed to identify factors that can mitigate the impact of poverty and ACEs on children's physical health.