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Promoting positive health by addressing adverse childhood experiences: Advancing awareness, research, and translation into policy and practice
Methods:
Building on reports from the National Survey of Children’s Health on prevalence and associations of ACEs with early life health and school impacts, we further evaluated mitigating child, family, school, neighborhood and health systems factors; conducted a qualitative appreciative inquiry and focus group process (n=45 MCH stakeholders); environment and evidence scan and a community engagement process (n >=150) to assess the need for and subsequently formulate a child health services research and policy agenda linked to a communications plan to reach key practitioner, program, system and policy audiences.
Results:
With nearly half of US children exposed to ACEs evaluated and growing scientific findings elucidating pathways to resilience, a wide range of trauma-informed measurement, training, practices and policies have emerged. Common to most effective approaches are multi-sector collaborations and a focus on socio-emotional wellbeing of adults/parents in order to establish safe, stable and nurturing relationships and self-regulatory capacities among children and in families. Coordinated communications, training and innovation is needed to address gaps in applied approaches and expedite translation into policy and practice.
Conclusion:
MCH program, policy and public health leaders and child health providers are essential to catalyze effective trauma-informed efforts and build resilience to promote child wellbeing.
Learning Areas:
Basic medical science applied in public healthChronic disease management and prevention
Epidemiology
Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines
Public health or related public policy
Social and behavioral sciences
Learning Objectives:
Describe the US, state, and child subgroup population prevalence, as well as the epidemiology, neurobiology, and other mechanisms linking adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) to the early and lifelong health of children. Discuss the role of maternal and child health programs in burgeoning efforts to mitigate and chart pathways toward healing and resilience among the nearly 50% of US children with ACEs.
Keyword(s): Child Health Promotion, Policy/Policy Development
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Since 1997, I have served in a leadership capacity to develop a range of applied measures and partnerships to assess and improve child well-being in national, state, and local programs, populations, health systems, and practice settings. I have published research elucidating factors that promote or impede early and lifelong health of children, with a focus on emotional, behavioral, and developmental problems and links to home, neighborhood, systems risk (e.g. ACEs), and protective factors.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.