Age-Varying Associations Between Childhood Abuse and The Risk of Obesity Across Adulthood: Examining Data from The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescents to Adult Health

Abstract

Childhood abuse is a significant early-life stressor linked to adverse health outcomes such as obesity across adulthood. This study examines how the association between childhood abuse (physical, emotional, and sexual) and obesity risk varies with age, using data from Waves I–V of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescents to Adult Health (Add Health). Utilizing Time-Varying Effect Modeling (TVEM), the study identifies specific developmental periods during which the relationship between childhood abuse and obesity risk is strongest and investigates the moderating role of gender. The study found that all forms of childhood abuse are associated with elevated obesity risk across the life course, with distinct patterns over time. Physical abuse showed a stronger impact on obesity risk during late adolescence and early adulthood, with a resurgence of influence in later adulthood. Emotional abuse had a positive and long-lasting association with obesity risk from young adulthood into established adulthood. Sexual abuse was linked to increased obesity risk emerging in late adolescence, early adulthood, and established adulthood, with females experiencing particularly pronounced effects in early adulthood. These results highlight the temporal dynamics of childhood abuse on obesity risk across adulthood, offering critical insights for the timing and tailoring of prevention and intervention strategies. The study underscores the need for trauma-informed public health policies that address childhood abuse as a risk factor for obesity across adulthood, particularly at high-risk age windows. By identifying when and for whom the abuse-obesity link is strongest, this study informs more effective prevention strategies and health policies to mitigate long-term obesity risk among survivors of childhood abuse.