Results:

A total of 213 African Americans and 181 European Americans (aged 5-38 years) were included in the present analysis. African American youth had higher body mass index, systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and lower socioeconomic status compared to European American youth. European Americans were more likely to smoke and/or use illicit drugs, but were also more likely to report exercising compared to African American youth. Prevalence of physical neglect was 9.4%, which was the lowest reported adverse experience, while parental marital discord (38.2%) was the highest reported adverse experience. A total of 69% of participants reported one or more adverse experience including mild (1-2 ACEs), moderate (3 ACEs), and severe (≥4 ACEs) exposure to ACEs representing 37.9%, 12.5%, and 18.8%, respectively. No gender differences were observed for adverse experiences; however, the number of adverse experiences was higher for African Americans compared to European Americans. No main effect of adverse experiences on average blood pressure was observed. Interaction between adverse experience score and age was observed for both SBP and DBP, such that a greater number of traumatic events during childhood was associated with a greater rise in blood pressure after the age of 30 years, compared to those who reported no adverse experiences. An association between adverse experiences and childhood socioeconomic status and negative health behaviors was also observed. However, the association between adverse experiences and SBP was not fully explained by such factors (socioeconomic status and negative health behaviors).