124. Adverse Childhood Experiences, Body Mass Index And Body Image In Adolescents: Are They Interrelated?

Abstract

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are clearly associated with increased rates of obesity later in life. Many adolescents with BMIs >85% exhibit unhealthy weight control behaviors, and body image (BI) disturbances may mediate these behaviors. However, the association between ACEs, BMI, and BI remains unexamined. Therefore, we have conducted a pilot study to examine, among preadolescents at high risk for multiple ACEs: 1) the prevalence of ACEs, BI, and BMI, and 2) the associations between number of ACEs and both BI scores and BMI percentiles. The study was conducted at a middle school in Rochester NY with a large proportion of minority and low-income students. All 7-8th graders were screened in 9/2017. ACEs were assessed using the ACE-Q (Center for Youth Wellness), an adolescent focused version of the original ACE screener. High ACEs were categorized as >3. BI was measured with the SATAQ, using a version that was validated on middle school students. Scores range from 14-70, with higher scores representing higher disturbance (or poor body esteem) in BI. A previous study of BI of white middle-class adolescents showed a mean SATAQ score of about 30 +/- 10. BMI was measured by percentile ranking, as recommended for preadolescents. We used descriptive statistics to analyze means (SD), frequencies and/or percentiles of ACEs, BI, and BMI. Bivariate analysis examined the relationship between high ACEs and BI scores and BMI percentiles. Students who assented to participate (N=151) were 62% Black or Hispanic; genders were balanced. The prevalence of ACEs in these youth was very high: 48% had >3 ACEs. In this sample, 47% had a BMI that was at the >85th percentile (overweight), and 25.5% were at the >95th percentile (obese). The mean BI score was 34.44 +/- 14.28. Thus in our sample, both BMI and BI scores were somewhat higher than previous reports for low SES youth. However, we found no significant relation between high ACEs and BI score (p=.321) or BMI percentile (p= .176). In this relatively new area of investigation, we found no associations between ACEs and BI or ACEs and BMI, unlike three previous studies. If a study with a larger sample confirms our results, our findings suggest that the preadolescent period might be optimal for interventions to prevent obesity, since ACEs and BMI, and also BMI and BI, are known to be associated in post-pubertal adolescents and in adults. The next phase of this study will evaluate the effects of a resilience intervention on pre/post BI scores in preadolescents with high ACE scores. If these results are positive, parallel studies in adolescents after puberty would be warranted.