1. Wisconsin Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Data
Findings from Wisconsin Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)
The following figures are from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. These can be used in presentations.
You can copy and paste entire slides into your own powerpoints based on what is most applicable to your audience and change up colors and fonts as you would like.

2. Overall ACE prevalence in Wisconsin 4-6
Content
Slides
ACEs overview 3
Overall ACE prevalence in Wisconsin
4-6
ACE prevalence by household income
7-12
ACE prevalence by race/ethnicity
13-15
ACEs and health outcomes
16-19
ACEs and smoking
20-26
You can copy and paste entire slides into your own powerpoints based on what is most applicable to your audience

3. ACE overview
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are negative life events or experiences which occur during childhood and have the potential to impede healthy child development.
Wisconsin includes the ACE module in the state's annual Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). To assess the occurrence of ACEs among Wisconsin adults, the BRFSS asks if they experienced any of the following events or circumstances prior to the age of 18:
Recurrent physical abuse
Recurrent emotional abuse
Sexual abuse
An alcohol or other drug abuser in the household
An incarcerated family member
A household member who was chronically depressed, mentally ill, institutionalized or suicidal
Violence between adults in the home
Parental separation or divorce
Poverty/neglect (questions added to ACE module in 2014)
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are negative life events or experiences which occur during childhood and have the potential to impede healthy child development. An ACE score is a measure of the cumulative exposure to adverse childhood experiences.  Exposure to any one of the criteria is counted as one point; points are tallied and totaled for a final score. An ACE score does not capture the severity or frequency of an adverse experience; instead it illuminates the number of ACE categories experienced. ACEs can have long-term, damaging consequences, such as higher risk behaviors and poor health outcomes, and are a leading determinant of public health spending.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and its partners sponsor an annual survey to collect data within all 50 states, including Wisconsin. Survey questions focus on a range of health behaviors and conditions, as well as a host of health-related risk factors. Early research on adverse childhood experiences led the CDC to develop a specific survey module of ACE-related questions. Wisconsin includes this module in the state's annual Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). To assess the occurrence of ACEs among Wisconsin adults, the BRFSS asks if they experienced any of the following events or circumstances prior to the age of 181:
Recurrent physical abuse
Recurrent emotional abuse
Sexual abuse
An alcohol or other drug abuser in the household
An incarcerated family member
A household member who was chronically depressed, mentally ill, institutionalized or suicidal
Violence between adults in the home
Parental separation or divorce
Poverty/neglect

4. 57% of Wisconsin Residents have at least 1 ACE
Prevalence of Individual ACEs in Wisconsin
57% of Wisconsin Residents have at least 1 ACE
Over half of all Wisconsin residents have at least 1 ACE.
Findings from the Behavioral Risk Factor Survey

5. Household Dysfunction
26% of Wisconsin residents grew up with someone who struggled with substance abuse
Feel free to build on any of these categories depending on what you want to highlight
Findings from the Behavioral Risk Factor Survey

6. Abuse 28% of Wisconsin residents grew up experiencing emotional abuse
Feel free to build on any of these categories depending on what you want to highlight – For example: even though sexual abuse percentage looks so much smaller in relation to emotional abuse you could always highlight that 1 in 10 Wisconsin adults have been sexually abused, which helps to tell a story and doesn’t have people just focusing on the numbers in the graphs
Findings from the Behavioral Risk Factor Survey

7. ACE Distribution by Current Household Income
0 ACEs
1 ACEs
2-3 ACEs
4+ACEs
<$20,000
31%
22%
24%
$20,000-$34,999
40%
21%
17%
$35,000-$49,999
45%
14%
$50,000
46%
23%
10%
The following slides are focused on Wisconsin ACE prevalence by income level. This table (and following tables) are provided in case you would like to present the information in a different way.
Findings from the Behavioral Risk Factor Survey

8. ACEs are more prevalent among those with lower income
The main point should be the title of the figure, with color used to distinguish the difference
<$20,000
<$20,000-$34,999
$35,000-$49,999
>$50,000
Findings from the Behavioral Risk Factor Survey

9. ACEs are more prevalent among those with lower income
<$20,000
Any ACE
<$20,000-$34,999
$35,000-$49,999
The main point should be the title of the figure, with color used to distinguish the difference
>$50,000
Findings from the Behavioral Risk Factor Survey

10. ACEs are more prevalent among those with lower income
Any ACE
<$20,000
<$20,000-$34,999
$35,000-$49,999
This is a third way to present the same data.
>$50,000
Findings from the Behavioral Risk Factor Survey

11. Households with lower incomes are more likely to have 4 or more ACEs
Another way to present income and ACE data
Findings from the Behavioral Risk Factor Survey

12. Nearly 1 out of 4 individuals with <$20,000 household income have 4 or more ACEs
You can highlight one bar if you want to call out – but this may change your heading
Findings from the Behavioral Risk Factor Survey

13. ACE Distribution by Race/Ethnicity
0 ACEs
1 ACEs
2-3 ACEs
4+ACEs
Black
20%
26%
28%
Native American
23%
19%
27%
31%
33%
16%
White
45%
22%
13%
Asian*
58%
15% 4%
The following slides are focused on Wisconsin ACE prevalence by income level. This table is provided in case you would like to present the information in a different way.
*Statistically insignificant due to low sample size
Findings from the Behavioral Risk Factor Survey

14. Blacks and Native Americans have higher rates of ACEs than Whites, Hispanic/Latinos, and Asians
Any ACE
Black
Native American
This is one way to present ACEs and their correlation with race information, and the following slide is another
White
Asian*
*Statistically insignificant due to low sample size
Findings from the Behavioral Risk Factor Survey

15. Blacks and Native Americans have higher rates of ACEs than Whites Hispanic/Latinos, and Asians
Any ACE
Black
0 ACEs
Native American
White
Another slide that presents ACEs and their correlation with race
Asian*
*Statistically insignificant due to low sample size
Findings from the Behavioral Risk Factor Survey

16. ACEs and Health Outcomes
Asthma 9%
12%
15%
22%
Poor/Fair general health
11%
13%
18%
23%
Ever diagnosed with depression 8%
36%
Frequent mental distress (14+ bad mental health days in past 30 days) 4%
24%
The correlation between ACEs and negative health outcomes is not surprising as people who have ACEs are more likely to participate in risk behaviors (like smoking) which increases their chances for negative health outcomes.
Findings from the Behavioral Risk Factor Survey

17. Both asthma and fair to poor general health are correlated with more ACEs
More ACEs are correlated with negative health outcomes
Findings from the Behavioral Risk Factor Survey

18. Both asthma and fair to poor general health are correlated with more ACEs
Fair/Poor General Health
Current Asthma
Same as last slide with a different look
Findings from the Behavioral Risk Factor Survey

19. Both depression and frequent mental distress are correlated with more ACEs
Findings from the Behavioral Risk Factor Survey

20. Individual ACEs and Smoking Rates
Household Dysfunction
Smoking Rate
Incarcerated
44%
Drug abuse
36%
Divorce
31%
Violence between adults
30%
Problem drinker
29%
Depression/suicidal/mentally ill
28%
The following slides are focused on Wisconsin ACE prevalence by income level. This table is provided in case you would like to present the information in a different way.
Findings from the Behavioral Risk Factor Survey

21. Individual ACEs and Smoking Rates
Abuse
Smoking Rate
Sexual abuse – forced to have sex
40%
Sexual abuse – victim forced to touch perpetrator
36%
Sexual abuse – victim touched
31%
Physical abuse
30%
Emotional abuse
26%
The following slides are focused on Wisconsin ACE prevalence by income level. This table is provided in case you would like to present the information in a different way.
Findings from the Behavioral Risk Factor Survey

22. Smoking rates increase as ACE scores increase
You can call out main points specific to smoking in Wisconsin data
Findings from the Behavioral Risk Factor Survey

23. Individuals with 4 or more ACEs smoke at rates double that of the Wisconsin average (19%)
You may not need to change your color scheme based on the main point.
Findings from the Behavioral Risk Factor Survey

24. All household dysfunction ACEs have higher rates of smoking than the overall Wisconsin average
19%
ALL individual ACEs are correlated with a higher smoking rates than that of the general population
Findings from the Behavioral Risk Factor Survey

25. All abuse ACEs have higher rates of smoking than the overall Wisconsin average
19%
Sexual abuse – Forced to have sex
Sexual abuse – Victim forced to touch perpetrator
Sexual abuse – Victim touched
Physical abuse
ALL individual ACEs are correlated with a higher smoking rates than that of the general population
Emotional abuse
Findings from the Behavioral Risk Factor Survey

26. All poverty ACEs have higher rates of smoking than the overall Wisconsin average
17%
Homeless when growing up
Hungry because family couldn’t afford food
Wisconsin poverty data related to ACEs only started getting collected in You will note that the 17% overall Wisconsin smoking rate is smaller than the two previous slides due to them having multiple years of data.
Findings from the Behavioral Risk Factor Survey
*Wisconsin started collecting this data in 2014