Associations between adverse childhood experiences and history of weight cycling

Caitlin E Smith; Kelsey L Sinclair; Temitope Erinosho; Andrew C Pickett; Vanessa M Martinez Kercher; Lucia Ciciolla; Misty A W Hawkins

doi:10.1002/osp4.736

Associations between adverse childhood experiences and history of weight cycling

Obes Sci Pract. 2024 Feb 16;10(1):e736. doi: 10.1002/osp4.736. eCollection 2024 Feb.

Authors

Caitlin E Smith¹, Kelsey L Sinclair^{2

3}, Temitope Erinosho³, Andrew C Pickett², Vanessa M Martinez Kercher², Lucia Ciciolla⁴, Misty A W Hawkins²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry Yale University New Haven Connecticut USA.
² Department of Health & Wellness Design Indiana University Bloomington Indiana USA.
³ Department of Applied Health Science Indiana University Bloomington Indiana USA.
⁴ Department of Psychology Oklahoma State University Stillwater Oklahoma USA.

Abstract

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) predict obesity onset; however, the relationship between ACEs and history of weight cycling has not been adequately explored. This gap is problematic given the difficulty in weight loss maintenance and the impact of ACEs on obesity development, chronicity, and associated weight stigma. The objective of this study was to examine associations between self-reported history of ACEs and weight cycling in a sample of weight loss treatment-seeking adults with overweight/obesity.

Methods: The number of participants in the analyzed sample was 78, mostly white educated adult women (80% female, 81% Caucasian, 75% ≥ bachelor's degree) with excess adiposity enrolled in the Cognitive and Self-regulatory Mechanisms of Obesity Study. ACEs were measured at baseline using the ACEs Scale. History of weight cycling was measured using the Weight and Lifestyle Inventory that documented weight loss(es) of 10 or more pounds.

Results: Higher ACE scores were associated with a greater likelihood of reporting a history of weight cycling. Participants with four or more ACEs had 8 times higher odds (OR = 8.301, 95% CI = 2.271-54.209, p = 0.027) of reporting weight cycling compared with participants with no ACEs. The association of weight cycling for those who endorsed one to three ACEs was not significant (OR = 2.3, 95% CI = 0.771-6.857, p = 0.135) in this sample.

Conclusions: The role of ACEs in health may be related to associations with weight cycling. Results indicated that those who reported four or more ACEs had significantly higher odds of reporting weight cycling compared with those with no ACEs. Further research is needed to further explore how ACEs predict the likelihood of weight cycling, which may be prognostic for sustained weight loss treatment response and weight stigma impacts.

Keywords: adverse childhood experiences; early life adversity; obesity; overweight; weight cycling.