Good childhood for better adult health

Adult and child holding hands

According to an article published in the latest issue of JAMA, by promoting behavioral health in children can lead to improved lifetime health. Author Thomas F. Boat, MD notes:

"evidence from developmental neuroscience indicates that the first 3 to 5 years of life are key to later life health and successes. Unrelenting, early life stress as the result of adverse childhood experiences (exposure to violence, physical and sexual abuse, neglect and substance abuse) is a major contributor to behavioral disorders of children and has been linked to poor health outcomes across a broad spectrum of disorders, as well as premature mortality, in adults. For instance, providing an enriched environment for disadvantaged children from the first year of life until kindergarten has been associated with a reduced risk of hypertension and metabolic syndrome in the fourth decade of life".