Associations of adverse childhood experiences and obesity with multimorbidity in middle-aged and older adults in China.

BACKGROUND

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and obesity are independently linked to multimorbidity. Emerging evidence suggests that ACEs may exacerbate obesity-related metabolic dysregulation through biological and behavioral pathways. The joint effect of ACEs and obesity on developing multimorbidity remains underexplored.

OBJECTIVES

To examine how ACEs and obesity contribute to the risk of multimorbidity and evaluate whether socioeconomic or lifestyle factors influence these relationships.

METHODS

Multimorbidity was defined as the presence of two or more self-reported physician diagnoses of 14 chronic diseases. ACEs were measured by participants' retrospective records whether exposure to 14 distinct ACE types: physical abuse, parental bias, emotional neglect, household substance abuse, parental mental illness, family conflict, parental imprisonment, parental divorce, parental death, sibling death, parental long-term disability/illness, family financial difficulty, bullying, and unsafe and dirty neighborhood exposure that were characterized by the binarized presence or absence of any ACE. While adapted thresholds defined overweight and obesity: overweight (24 kg/ m2 ≤ BMI < 28 kg/m2) and obesity (BMI ≥ 28 kg/m2). We estimated the association between ACEs (including types and dose exposure), obesity, and multimorbidity using logistic regression and the Cox regression model while further evaluating their combined effects.

RESULTS

Individuals with ≥4 ACEs faced a 50 % higher risk of multimorbidity compared to those without ACEs, showing a dose-response trend. Obesity independently increased multimorbidity risk by 71 %. Combined exposure to high ACEs and obesity nearly doubled the risk.

CONCLUSION

ACEs and overweight/obesity represent critical risk factors for multimorbidity among the elderly. This study underscores the need for: greater exploration of life-course perspectives in multimorbidity research, enhanced public health focus on ACE prevention, and improved access to weight-management programs. Our findings help identify potential risk factors for multimorbidity.