Investment in child and adolescent health and development: Key messages from disease control priorities, 3rd edition

Journal article : Review

The realisation of human potential for development requires age-specific investment throughout the 8000 days of childhood and adolescence. Focus on the first 1000 days is an essential but insufficient investment. Intervention is also required in three later phases: the middle childhood growth and consolidation phase (5–9 years), when infection and malnutrition constrain growth, and mortality is higher than previously recognised; the adolescent growth spurt (10–14 years), when substantial changes place commensurate demands on good diet and health; and the adolescent phase of growth and consolidation (15–19 years), when new responses are needed to support brain maturation, intense social engagement, and emotional control. Two cost-efficient packages, one delivered through schools and one focusing on later adolescence, would provide phase-specific support across the life cycle, securing the gains of investment in the first 1000 days, enabling substantial catch-up from early growth failure, and leveraging improved learning from concomitant education investments.

Authors: Bundy, DAP; de Silva, N; Horton, S; Patton, GC; Schultz, L

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Journal: Lancet
• Volume: 391
• Issue: 10121
• Pages: 687-699
• Publication date: 2017-11-16
• Acceptance date: 2017-08-18
• DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(17)32417-0
• EISSN: 1474-547X
• ISSN: 0140-6736
• Pmid: 29153316
• Language: English
• Keywords: FFR
• Subtype: Review