Early childhood adversity and body mass index in childhood and adolescence: linking registry data on adversities with school health records of 53,401 children from Copenhagen
Authors' conclusion
Whereas associations with BMI were found for children and adolescents exposed to material deprivation, loss or threat of loss, and high adversity, the effect sizes were generally small. Contrary to prevailing hypotheses, weight changes in childhood is probably not a major explanatory mechanism linking early childhood adversity with later-life morbidity.
Study context
- Population
- Children born in Denmark 1980–1996 with school height and weight data in Copenhagen (DANLIFE); adversity at 0–5 years
- Participants
- 53,401 children
- Exposure
- Early childhood adversity groups vs low adversity
- Outcome
- BMI z-score
- Follow-up
- Childhood (6-7 years) and adolescence (12-15 years)
Methodological detailsnationwide register linkage with school health records, group-based multi-trajectory modelling, sex-stratified structural equation models
- Nationwide register linkage with school health records
- Group-based multi-trajectory modelling
- Sex-stratified structural equation models
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
B
0.18
95% CI 0.10–0.26
Loss or threat of loss · girls; strongest association
B
−0.12
95% CI −0.22 to −0.02
High adversity · boys, childhood; lower with High adversity
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Original publication
Early childhood adversity and body mass index in childhood and adolescence: linking registry data on adversities with school health records of 53,401 children from Copenhagen. Int J Obes (Lond). Published 25 August 2023. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →