Photo Credit: bangoland
The following is a summary of “Age, Adverse Childhood Experiences, and Health Care Utilization,” published in the October 2024 issue of Pediatrics by Golden et al.
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are linked to long-term health impacts. However, how ACEs affect pediatric healthcare utilization based on age needs to be better understood.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to assess the age-related association between ACEs and pediatric healthcare utilization.
They included patients who completed primary care ACEs screening between January 2020 and September 2021, ACEs were categorized as none (0), low (1-3), or high (≥4), 2 multivariable logistic regression models assessed emergency department (ED) visits and inpatient utilization within 6 months of screening.
The results showed that 37,315 patients, 15.7% of whom visited the ED, and 2.5% were hospitalized within 6 months of ACE screening. The infants and toddlers with any ACEs had lower odds of ED and inpatient utilization, while older children with any ACEs had higher odds of ED (age-low ACEs: 0.04, P<.001; age-high ACEs: 0.08, P<.001) and inpatient utilization (age-low ACEs: 0.06, P<.001; age-high ACEs: 0.15, P<.001). The odds of utilization increased with each successive year of age.
They concluded that the impact of ACEs on healthcare utilization varies by age, highlighting the need for age-specific therapeutic strategies for children.
