Dataset Information

Childhood Poly-victimization Is Associated With Elevated Body Mass Index and Blunted Cortisol Stress Response in College Women.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Childhood interpersonal violence is linked to obesity and central adiposity in adulthood. Victimization experiences are likely to co-occur within individuals, but few studies have examined poly-victimization in the context of obesity and central adiposity.

Purpose

The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between poly-victimization and body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) and to explore whether dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, as measured by the cortisol stress response, mediates the relationship.

Methods

Healthy undergraduate women were recruited for a laboratory study from an online survey that assessed six different childhood victimization experiences: physical abuse, sexual abuse, peer violence, intimate partner violence, community violence, and witnessing violence. Forty-four women were categorized as poly-victims (2-5 types of violence exposures) and 48 were controls (0 types of violence exposures). Salivary cortisol was measured before and after the Trier Social Stress Test. Cortisol stress response was analyzed by the area under the curve with respect to ground (AUCG).

Results

Compared with controls, poly-victims had higher BMI (B = 2.03, p = .04) and lower cortisol AUCG (B = -6.70, p < .01), independent of covariates. Poly-victims showed blunted AUCG in response to the stress task compared with controls, independent of covariates (B = -6.70, p < .01). Bootstrapping tests of mediation showed that cortisol response was not a significant mediator of the relationship between poly-victimization and BMI. Secondary analyses among poly-victims showed that the more frequent the violence exposure the higher the BMI.

Conclusions

Childhood poly-victimization is linked to higher BMI and blunted cortisol responses in young adult women. Assessment of multiple forms of childhood victimization is recommended.

SUBMITTER: Christie AJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6499412 | biostudies-literature | 2019 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Childhood Poly-victimization Is Associated With Elevated Body Mass Index and Blunted Cortisol Stress Response in College Women.

Christie Aimee J AJ Matthews Karen A KA

Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine 20190501 6

<h4>Background</h4>Childhood interpersonal violence is linked to obesity and central adiposity in adulthood. Victimization experiences are likely to co-occur within individuals, but few studies have examined poly-victimization in the context of obesity and central adiposity.<h4>Purpose</h4>The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between poly-victimization and body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) and to explore whether dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrena ...[more]

PMID: 30169815

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Project description:ImportanceThe incidence of ischemic stroke among young adults is rising and is potentially due to an increase in stroke risk factors occurring at younger ages, such as obesity.ObjectivesTo investigate whether childhood body mass index (BMI) and change in BMI are associated with adult ischemic stroke and to assess whether the associations are age dependent or influenced by birth weight.Design, setting, and participantsThis investigation was a population-based cohort study of schoolchildren born from 1930 to 1987, with follow-up through national health registers from 1977 to 2012 in Denmark. Participants were 307?677 individuals (8899 ischemic stroke cases) with measured weight and height at ages 7 to 13 years. The dates of the analysis were September 1, 2015, to May 27, 2016.Main outcomes and measuresChildhood BMI, change in BMI, and birth weight. Ischemic stroke events were divided into early (?55 years) or late (>55 years) age at diagnosis.ResultsThe study cohort comprised 307?677 participants (approximately 49% female and 51% male). During the study period, 3529 women and 5370 men experienced an ischemic stroke. At all ages from 7 to 13 years, an above-average BMI z score was positively associated with early ischemic stroke. At age 13 years, a BMI z score of 1 was associated with hazard ratios (HRs) of 1.26 (95% CI, 1.11-1.43) in women and 1.21 (95% CI, 1.10-1.33) in men. No significant associations were found for below-average BMI z scores. Among children with above-average BMI z scores at age 7 years, a score increase of 0.5 from ages 7 to 13 years was positively associated with early ischemic stroke in women (HR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.01-1.20) and in men (HR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.00-1.16). Similarly, among children with below-average BMI z scores at age 7 years, a score increase of 0.5 from ages 7 to 13 years was positively associated with early ischemic stroke in women (HR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.06-1.23) and in men (HR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.04-1.18). Adjusting for birth weight minimally affected the associations.Conclusions and relevanceIndependent of birth weight, above-average childhood BMI and increases in BMI during childhood are positively associated with early adult ischemic stroke. To avoid the occurrence of early ischemic stroke associated with childhood overweight and obesity, these results suggest that all children should be helped to attain and maintain healthy weights.

Dataset Information

Childhood Poly-victimization Is Associated With Elevated Body Mass Index and Blunted Cortisol Stress Response in College Women.

Background

Purpose

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Childhood Poly-victimization Is Associated With Elevated Body Mass Index and Blunted Cortisol Stress Response in College Women.

Similar Datasets

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