Iowa ACEs Report

The 2020 Iowa ACEs Report - Healing Iowa: How Iowans are reshaping systems and communities for children to thrive - examines two years of data collected among Iowa adults measuring 10 types of ACEs. The report highlights the challenges Iowans experience related to ACEs and stories of actions individuals, organizations, and communities are taking to respond. 

Iowa ACEs 360 developed the report with funding from Mid-Iowa Health Foundation and United Way of Central Iowa. Iowa data is collected through the Iowa Department of Public Health's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.
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How ACEs Impact Iowans

64%
of Iowa adults have experienced at least one ACE.
17%
of Iowa adults have experienced four or more ACEs, indicating a significant level of stress.
Adults reporting higher ACEs
  • Adults of color
  • Adults with less than a high school education
  • Adults living in poverty
Iowa's research mirrors national research that shows as the number of ACEs an individual experienced increases, so does the likelihood of adopting risky behaviors, having poor health and mental health, and struggling in school and at work. 
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National ACEs Study

The ACE Study is a large-scale, ongoing evaluation examining the link between childhood trauma, and risky behaviors and health issues in adulthood. 

The original study was conducted from 1995-1997 by investigators Dr. Robert  Anda, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Dr. Vincent Felitti, with Kaiser Permanente. The investigators surveyed more than 17,000 Kaiser Permanente HMO adult members about their exposure to ten categories of abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction during their childhood. The results, combined with physical exams and ongoing tracking of members' health, showed a powerful correlation between harmful experiences in childhood and poor adult health outcomes decades later. 

ACEs were also found to be vastly common among the general population. Most participants in the original study were white, middle class, and educated. View the CDC's latest research around ACEs and violence prevention:
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Learn more about ACEs

Get more involved in learning about ACEs and implementing best practices to respond. 
Learn about factors that can lead to ACEs and how ACEs impacts health outcomes. 
Learn about solutions for helping adults and children heal and for preventing ACEs.