Association between Self-Reported Childhood Difficulties and Obesity and Health-Related Behaviors in Adulthood—A Cross-Sectional Study among 28,047 Adults from the General Population

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to examine the associations between self-reported childhood difficulties, weight status, and lifestyle behaviors among a representative sample of Norwegian adults. This cross-sectional study included 28,047 adults (>18 years old) living in southern Norway. A self-report questionnaire was used to assess information about the overall quality of the respondents’ childhood retrospectively in addition to current weight status and current lifestyle behaviors. Multivariable logistic regression models adjusted for gender, age, and educational level showed that evaluating childhood as difficult was associated with increased odds of obesity (OR: 1.29; 95% CI; 1.16–1.44) in adulthood. Moreover, a difficult childhood was associated with increased odds of unhealthy lifestyle behaviors in adulthood, including low consumption of fruit and berries (1.21; 1.09–1.34) and fish (1.43; 1.30–1.57), high consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (1.30; 1.14–1.48), low level of physical activity (1.10; 1.01–1.21), smoking cigarettes (1.78; 1.61–1.97), and using smokeless tobacco (1.20; 1.07–1.36). Overall, results from the present study suggest that experiencing childhood as difficult is associated with an increased risk of obesity and a range of unhealthy lifestyle behaviors in adulthood. Thus, our findings highlight the importance of identifying and providing support to children in difficult life circumstances in addition to customized and targeted public health efforts in adulthood.