Spokane Counts 2011 - Adverse Childhood Experience

Adverse Childhood Experience

Injury & Violence

Indicator: Adverse Childhood Experience (Adults)

Definition: Percent of adults who reported 4-8 adverse childhood experiences (ACE). ACEs are stressful or traumatic events during childhood and included: lived with a person with mental illness, lived with a person who abused drugs or alcohol, crime in the home, parental discord, witnessing domestic violence, physical abuse, emotional abuse, or sexual abuse.

Why is this important: ACEs disrupt neurodevelopment and can have lasting effects on brain structure and function. The cumulative impact of the stressful events is captured in the ACE score, and has been demonstrated in a graded, or “dose-response” relationship between the number of ACEs and a variety of social and health problems.¹

Where are we: In 2009 in Spokane County, 36% of adults had a high ACE score. Spokane County had a significantly higher proportion of adults with a high ACE score than that of Washington State.

Health Disparities:

Among adults in Spokane County in 2009:

High ACE scores decreased as age increased.

There was no difference in high ACE scores by education level, income, or between males and females.

¹Anda RF, Brown DW. Adverse Childhood Experiences & Population Health in Washington: The Face of a Chronic Public Health Disaster. Prepared for the Washington State Family Policy Council. July 2, 2010.

(click to enlarge)

	Data Source	BRFSS, 2009

Geography	Spokane County	35.6% (29.9-41.9)
	WA	28.2% (26.6-29.8)
	U.S.	Not Avail

	Trend	Not Avail

Age	Adults
	18-34 yrs	55.1% (40.3-69.1)
	35-44 yrs	36.1% (25.1-48.7)
	45-64 yrs	29.3% (23.5-35.8)
	65+ yrs	8.3% (5.0-13.4)

Sex	Male	34.2% (25.5-44.2)
	Female	37.2% (30.1-44.8)

Education	< High school	42.0% (17.8-70.7)
	High school	31.5% (19.5-46.7)
	Some college	43.5% (34.4-53.1)
	College graduate	28.5% (20.3-38.5)

Income	<$25,000	36.6% (24.1-51.2)
	$25,000-$49,999	39.7% (29.0-51.5)
	$50,000+	27.0% (20.2-35.2)

Data Source: Washington State Department of Health, Center for Health Statistics, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, supported in part by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Cooperative Agreements U58/CCU022819-6 (2009). Calculations and presentation of data by Spokane Regional Health District, Community Health Assessment.

Spokane Regional Health District · Community Health Assessment · 1101 W College Ave, Room 360, Spokane, WA 99201
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