Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
In the mid 1990’s the Center for Disease Control (CDC) partnered
with Kaiser-Permanente to conduct a study on the correlation of childhood experiences and adult health and well-being.
This study was large in scope and resulted in:
- confirmation that experiences in childhood are strongly related to well-being in adulthood;
- determination that child maltreatment is a public health issue;
- identified factors that place children at risk; and
- identified strategies to minimize risk.
The study found that adverse experiences in childhood may result in disrupted neurodevelopment, social, emotional and cognitive impairment, adoption of health-risk behaviors, increase of disease, disability and social problems and even result in early death.
For more information on the CDC study click here.
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
Data continues to be collected in all 50 states on health-related risk behaviors, chronic health conditions and use of prevention services through the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, or BRFSS. The BRFSS is supported by many organizations. For more information on BRFSS click here.
In New Mexico, the NM-IBIS (Indicator-Based Information System) through the Department of Health is New Mexico’s public health data resource. In a recent report, The State of Health in New Mexico 2018, it is reported that life expectancy in New Mexico has decreased due to ‘drug overdose, motor vehicle injuries, heart disease and infant mortality’. For the full report click here.
We Can Prevent ACEs
A 4.32 minute video by CDC.
How Childhood Trauma Affects Health Across a Lifetime
Dr. Nadine Burke Harris provides a 16 minute TedTalk.
