Childhood and adolescent overweight have been related to several short- and long-term metabolic and cardiovascular complications, which can lead to morbidity and premature mortality in adult life (Reilly, 2011). Several studies have shown that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are related to higher risk of overweight and obesity not only in adults (Felitti, 1998; Barry, 2008; D’Argenio, 2009; Fuller-Thomson, 2013; Shin, 2011), but also in children and adolescents (Lumeng, 2013; Slopen, 2014). However, this evidence comes mostly from high-income countries, and socioeconomic position is known to be an important predictor of both ACEs and overweight. Cross-cohort comparisons allow exploration of relationships in settings with different confounding structures and, therefore, if the association is consistent across these, it is less likely to be driven by residual confounding (Brion, 2011).
Furthermore, the majority of existing studies that assess the relationship between ACEs and overweight use body mass index (BMI) as a measure of adiposity, which does not directly assess fat quantity or body fat distribution (Wells, 2006). Thus, a more accurate quantification of overweight by using body composition assessment is important to better determine future risk of diseases (Ayvaz, 2011).
Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess the relationship between ACEs and adiposity in adolescents, using data from two birth cohorts from different socioeconomic backgrounds.