ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES (ACES) AND PARTICIPATION IN ROUTINE HEALTH SCREENING AMONG OLDER INDIVIDUALS

Abstract

Abstract Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are a collective term used to define traumatic events before the age of 18. Individuals with ACEs are at risk for various negative health behaviors and chronic diseases. Routine screenings help in early detection of the disease and minimize the impact of the disease, disability, early death, and higher medical costs. Research on ACEs focusing exclusively on older population has received inadequate attention. Additionally, it is not clear whether different types of childhood adversities impact older individuals to participate in routine health screenings. This study included 3997 individuals above 65 years from the 2015 Texas Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to examine the prevalence of ACEs and their health screening practices. The dependent variable was participating in routine health checkup in the past year and 8 ACEs were the independent variables where gender, age, race, and having a personal doctor were controlled. Logistic regression models showed that prevalence of four ACEs (Physical, sexual, and emotional abuses and parental divorce/separation) were likely to reduce older individuals’ participation in routine checkup in the past year. Similarly, older individuals with personal doctor were twice more likely to visit for routine checkup compared to those without personal doctor. Lastly, older Black individuals were less likely to participate in routine checkup than their White counterparts. This study provided preliminary results to consider the impact of specific ACEs in routine health screening behaviors among older individuals. Future research might benefit from longitudinal study examining causal relationship between ACEs and health behaviors.