"One of obesity’s hidden factors that is receiving a lot of attention lately is adverse childhood experiences. Large scale studies (http://acestudy.org/) have clearly demonstrated that adults who experienced adversity during their childhood, such as loss of a parent, divorce or living in a foster home, are more likely to experience diseases like heart disease, liver disease and lung diseases (http://www.cdc.gov/ace/findings.htm). The majority of the scientific literature on this topic is focused on adults and factors in childhood that could explain these trends remains unclear.
"In fact, very few scientists have examined the influence of being exposed to adversity on health outcomes in children, particularly obesity. The purpose of my research experience at the Economic and Social Research Institute in Dublin was to study the link between adversity and childhood obesity in children in Ireland.
Professor James Williams, at ESRI is the principal investigator for a very unique cohort study in Ireland, called the Growing Up in Ireland Study. The study, (the largest study of its kind ever undertaken in Ireland) is designed to understand the social, economic and cultural factors that influence child development. Professor Williams and his team have enrolled 8,500 9 year olds and 11,500 at 9 month olds who they plan to follow for a period 9 years...."
http://www.icuf.ie/exploring-the-link-between-adversity-and-childhood-obesity-dobbin-scholar-report/
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