Identification of positive childhood experiences with the potential to mitigate childhood unhealthy weight status in children within the context of adverse childhood experiences: a prospective cohort study
Abstract Background Despite potential protective and mitigating effects of positive childhood experiences (PCEs) on poor health outcomes, limited research has identified relevant PCEs and examined their individual and cumulative associations with weight status, or their mitigating effects on the ass...
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2025-01-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-20727-y |
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| author | Brooklyn M. Mellar Maryam Ghasemi Pauline Gulliver Barry Milne Fiona Langridge Tracey McIntosh Christa Fouche Boyd Swinburn Ladan Hashemi |
| author_facet | Brooklyn M. Mellar Maryam Ghasemi Pauline Gulliver Barry Milne Fiona Langridge Tracey McIntosh Christa Fouche Boyd Swinburn Ladan Hashemi |
| author_sort | Brooklyn M. Mellar |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Despite potential protective and mitigating effects of positive childhood experiences (PCEs) on poor health outcomes, limited research has identified relevant PCEs and examined their individual and cumulative associations with weight status, or their mitigating effects on the associations between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and obesity in children. This study aims to develop an exploratory PCEs Index with the potential to protect against or mitigate the association between ACEs and unhealthy weight status. Methods Data came from the Growing Up in New Zealand study. The analytic sample was restricted to those who provided obesity data at age 8 and one child per mother, resulting in a sample of 4,895 children. Nine individual ACEs and their cumulative scores, a newly developed PCEs index consisting of six individual PCEs and (their) cumulative scores, and an overweight/obesity variable were included in the analyses. Results By age eight, experience of at least 3 PCEs was reported by 72.1% of the sample. However, the experience of the highest number of PCEs (5–6) was only reported by 23% of the sample. Four out of six assessed PCEs were associated with decreased likelihood of overweight/obesity. A dose-response effect was observed where experience of three or more PCEs was associated with decreased odds for obesity (AORs decreased from 0.77 for 3 PCEs to 0.54 for 5–6 PCEs). No consistent mitigating effects were found for individual PCEs; however interactions were found between reporting at least four of the six PCEs, experience of cumulative ACEs, and reduced odds for overweight/obesity at age 8. Conclusions A critical number of PCEs may be required to mitigate the detrimental impacts of ACEs on weight status among children. These findings reinforce the need to consider a constellation of strength-focused ecological domains to alleviate the burden of childhood obesity, particularly for children exposed to multiple adversities. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-76157f3cf46f498f8b58d64e202d3c8e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1471-2458 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
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| series | BMC Public Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-76157f3cf46f498f8b58d64e202d3c8e2025-01-19T12:41:39ZengBMCBMC Public Health1471-24582025-01-0125111410.1186/s12889-024-20727-yIdentification of positive childhood experiences with the potential to mitigate childhood unhealthy weight status in children within the context of adverse childhood experiences: a prospective cohort studyBrooklyn M. Mellar0Maryam Ghasemi1Pauline Gulliver2Barry Milne3Fiona Langridge4Tracey McIntosh5Christa Fouche6Boyd Swinburn7Ladan Hashemi8Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of AucklandFaculty of Education and Social Work, University of AucklandFaculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of AucklandCentre of Methods and Policy Application in Social Sciences, University of AucklandFaculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of AucklandWānanga o Waipapa School of Māori Studies and Pacific Studies, University of AucklandFaculty of Education and Social Work, University of AucklandFaculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of AucklandFaculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of AucklandAbstract Background Despite potential protective and mitigating effects of positive childhood experiences (PCEs) on poor health outcomes, limited research has identified relevant PCEs and examined their individual and cumulative associations with weight status, or their mitigating effects on the associations between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and obesity in children. This study aims to develop an exploratory PCEs Index with the potential to protect against or mitigate the association between ACEs and unhealthy weight status. Methods Data came from the Growing Up in New Zealand study. The analytic sample was restricted to those who provided obesity data at age 8 and one child per mother, resulting in a sample of 4,895 children. Nine individual ACEs and their cumulative scores, a newly developed PCEs index consisting of six individual PCEs and (their) cumulative scores, and an overweight/obesity variable were included in the analyses. Results By age eight, experience of at least 3 PCEs was reported by 72.1% of the sample. However, the experience of the highest number of PCEs (5–6) was only reported by 23% of the sample. Four out of six assessed PCEs were associated with decreased likelihood of overweight/obesity. A dose-response effect was observed where experience of three or more PCEs was associated with decreased odds for obesity (AORs decreased from 0.77 for 3 PCEs to 0.54 for 5–6 PCEs). No consistent mitigating effects were found for individual PCEs; however interactions were found between reporting at least four of the six PCEs, experience of cumulative ACEs, and reduced odds for overweight/obesity at age 8. Conclusions A critical number of PCEs may be required to mitigate the detrimental impacts of ACEs on weight status among children. These findings reinforce the need to consider a constellation of strength-focused ecological domains to alleviate the burden of childhood obesity, particularly for children exposed to multiple adversities.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-20727-yPositive childhood experiencesAdverse childhood experiencesChildhood obesityMitigation |
| spellingShingle | Brooklyn M. Mellar Maryam Ghasemi Pauline Gulliver Barry Milne Fiona Langridge Tracey McIntosh Christa Fouche Boyd Swinburn Ladan Hashemi Identification of positive childhood experiences with the potential to mitigate childhood unhealthy weight status in children within the context of adverse childhood experiences: a prospective cohort study BMC Public Health Positive childhood experiences Adverse childhood experiences Childhood obesity Mitigation |
| title | Identification of positive childhood experiences with the potential to mitigate childhood unhealthy weight status in children within the context of adverse childhood experiences: a prospective cohort study |
| title_full | Identification of positive childhood experiences with the potential to mitigate childhood unhealthy weight status in children within the context of adverse childhood experiences: a prospective cohort study |
| title_fullStr | Identification of positive childhood experiences with the potential to mitigate childhood unhealthy weight status in children within the context of adverse childhood experiences: a prospective cohort study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Identification of positive childhood experiences with the potential to mitigate childhood unhealthy weight status in children within the context of adverse childhood experiences: a prospective cohort study |
| title_short | Identification of positive childhood experiences with the potential to mitigate childhood unhealthy weight status in children within the context of adverse childhood experiences: a prospective cohort study |
| title_sort | identification of positive childhood experiences with the potential to mitigate childhood unhealthy weight status in children within the context of adverse childhood experiences a prospective cohort study |
| topic | Positive childhood experiences Adverse childhood experiences Childhood obesity Mitigation |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-20727-y |
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