Watch the TED Talk, "Nadine Burke Harris—How Childhood Trauma Affects Health Across a Lifetime," selected from the University Library.

Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

• Is the prevalence of high ACE scores indicative of a public health crisis?

 

Yes. The prevalence of high ACE scores indicates a public health catastrophe. It occurs from traumatic childhood experiences that involve emotional and physical neglect, parental mental illness, or substance dependence. ACE is one of the dominant public health threats facing nations today, left unaddressed, with 67% of the population with at least one ACE.

A dose-response relationship between ACE and health outcomes indicated that the higher your ACE score, the worse your health outcomes. Not only does it cause child trauma, but it also affects the brain development of children, their immune system, and how their DNA is transcribed. TED (2015) pointed out that persons with an ace score of four and above were highly exposed to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) two and a half times those with zero ace scores. It also showed a high risk of hepatitis and depression compared to children with no ACE scores. Therefore, we see that high doses of ACEs are health-damaging and need to be ideally addressed. The task is then left to doctors and individuals to develop the right tool kits and find solutions to the public health crisis created.