Investment in child and adolescent health and development: key messages from Disease Control Priorities, 3rd Edition

Area of Science:

• Child Development
• Public Health
• Human Potential

Background:

• Human potential realization necessitates age-specific investments throughout childhood and adolescence.
• While the first 1000 days are critical, they are insufficient for complete development.
• Later developmental phases also require targeted interventions for optimal outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the necessity of age-specific investments beyond the first 1000 days.
• To identify key developmental phases requiring intervention in middle childhood and adolescence.
• To propose cost-efficient intervention packages for comprehensive life-cycle support.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of developmental needs across distinct childhood and adolescent phases.
• Identification of constraints (infection, malnutrition, growth demands) in later phases.
• Proposal of two cost-efficient intervention packages (school-based and late adolescence-focused).

Main Results:

• Middle childhood (5-9 years) and adolescence (10-19 years) present distinct challenges including infection, malnutrition, and demands of growth spurts and brain maturation.
• Mortality rates in middle childhood are higher than previously recognized.
• Targeted interventions can secure early gains, enable catch-up from growth failure, and improve learning.

Conclusions:

• Comprehensive investment across all 8000 days of childhood and adolescence is essential for realizing human potential.
• Phase-specific interventions, particularly in middle childhood and adolescence, are cost-effective and necessary.
• School-based and late adolescence programs can optimize development and learning outcomes.