title: Impact of childhood experience and adult well-being on eating preferences and behaviours.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the relative contribution of childhood experience, measured by childhood violence and childhood happiness, and adult well-being on adult eating preferences and behaviours, independent of proximal factors such as current deprivation.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional, stratified, randomised sample survey using retrospective measures of childhood violence and happiness and self-reported measures of current well-being.
  
  
  METHODS
  The North West Region of England between September 2012 and March 2013.
  
  
  METHODS
  Individuals aged 18-95-year-olds from randomly selected households (participation was successful for 90% of eligible households and 78% of the total visited addresses; n=11,243).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Dichotomised measures for preference of healthy foods or 'feel good' foods and low or high daily fruit and vegetable consumption.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After correcting for demographics, combined categories for childhood experience and dichotomised measures of adult well-being were found to be significantly related to adult food preferences and eating behaviours. Participants with unhappy and violent childhoods compared to those with happy and non-violent childhoods had adjusted ORs (95% CI, significance) of 2.67 (2.15 to 3.06, p<0.001) of having low daily fruit and vegetable intake (two or less portions) and 1.53 (1.29 to 1.81, p<0.001) of choosing 'feel good' foods over foods which were good for their long term health.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Daily intake of fruit and vegetables, linked to non-communicable diseases, and preference for 'feel good' foods, linked to obesity, are affected by childhood experience and adult well-being independent of demographic factors. Preventative interventions which support parent-child relationships and improve childhood experience are likely to reduce the development of poor dietary and other health-risk behaviours.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Public Health, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.
authors.forename: Simon J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Russell
authors.affiliation: Centre for Public Health, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.affiliation: Centre for Public Health, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Bellis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D054523:Adult Survivors of Child Abuse; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet; D004739:England; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences; D006240:Happiness; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D011788:Quality of Life; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: PUBLIC HEALTH