Associations Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Disordered Eating in US Youth: The PLATE Study.
Economic insecurity nearly doubles odds of compensatory weight-control behaviors in youth
Associations Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Disordered Eating in US Youth: The PLATE Study.
To examine associations between individual adverse childhood experiences (adverse childhood experiences) and disordered eating behaviors (disordered eating behaviors) in US youth.
The study was based on a cross-sectional analysis of 47,617 children 10 to 17 years of age from the 2022-2023 National Survey of Children's Health.
economic strain nearly doubles the odds youth engage in compensatory weight-control behaviors
Overall, disordered eating behaviors were reported for 29% of youth.
Household mental illness and economic insecurity showed the strongest and most consistent associations, each paired with 4 or more disordered eating behaviors.
Family resilience and ≥4 shared meals weekly reduced disordered eating behaviors odds, but protection weakened with mental illness or financial strain.
Bullying victimization raised disordered eating behaviors risk, but this association was attenuated among youth facing racial discrimination.
Household mental illness and financial hardship confer broad risk for disordered eating in youth, largely through internalizing symptoms and, in the context of poverty, food scarcity.
Family strengths and peer experience can buffer or amplify these risks.
Together, these findings highlight the value of trauma-informed and developmentally sensitive assessment of disordered eating behaviors that consider emotional, nutritional, and family context, including exposure to adversity, to support early identification and prevention in youth.