Adverse childhood events and risk of diabetes onset in the 1979 National longitudinal survey of youth cohort

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes is a major public health problem with considerable personal and societal costs. Adverse childhood experiences (ACE) are associated with a number of serious and chronic health problems in adulthood, but these experiences have not been adequately studied in relation to diabetes in a US national sample. The association between ACE and poor health can be partially explained by greater risky health behaviors (RHB) such as smoking, heavy alcohol use, or obesity. Few studies have examined ACE in relation to adult onset Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) taking into account the role of RHB. Using longitudinal data from a representative US population sample followed over 30 years, this study examines the impact of ACE on the risk of diabetes onset. METHODS: Data from the 1982 to 2012 waves of the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth were analyzed, spanning ages 14 to 56. Bivariate and discrete-time survival models were used to assess the relationships between ACE and RHB including smoking, alcohol use, and obesity, and subsequent onset of diabetes. RESULTS: T2DM was reported by almost 10% of participants. Over 30% of women and 21% of men reported 2+ ACE events. Women reporting 2–3 or 4+ ACE events were more likely to develop diabetes with the mean number of ACE events being greater in those with diabetes compared to without (1.28 vs.1.05, p < .0001). For men there was no significant association between ACE and diabetes onset. For women, ACE was associated with heavy drinking, current smoking, and obesity. For men, ACE was associated with being underweight and daily smoking. In multivariate discrete-time survival models, each additional ACE increased risk of T2DM onset (OR(adj) = 1.14; 95% CI 1.02–1.26) for women but not for men. The relationship in women was attenuated when controlling for body mass index (BMI). CONCLUSION: ACE predicted diabetes onset among women, though this relationship was attenuated when controlling for BMI. Being overweight or obese was significantly more common among women with a history of ACE, which suggests BMI may be on the pathway from ACE to diabetes onset for women.