The best opportunity to build a strong foundation for lifelong health and wellbeing occurs during the first 1000 days – the period from conception, throughout pregnancy, and during a child’s first two years.
This Policy Brief outlines the implications of this critical time, identifies factors that place children at risk, and recommends a coordinated approach that addresses children’s needs in order to optimise their health and wellbeing, now and into the future.
This edition explores:
- The evidence regarding the significance of the first 1000 days: the period from conception, throughout pregnancy, and during a child’s first two years.
- The implications of the research including the three distinct developmental periods during the first 1000 days when action to promote better outcomes can be take
- Considerations for policy and practice to holistically address the needs of children and their families during their first 1000 days.
About this edition
This Policy Brief is derived from The First Thousand Days: An Evidence Paper (Moore, T.G., Arefadib, N., Deery, A., & West, S. 2017). The full version can be downloaded from www.rch.org.au/ccch/first-thousand-days
This publication was prepared for the Strong Foundations: Getting it Right in the First 1000 Days project – an initiative of the Australian Research Alliance for Children & Youth, Bupa Australia, the Bupa Health Foundation, the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, and PwC Australia.
For more information and related resources, visit the www.rch.org.au/ccch/first-thousand-days
About the Policy Brief series
The Centre for Community Child Health Policy Brief series aims to stimulate informed discussion about issues that affect children’s health, development and wellbeing. Each issue draws on current research and evidence-informed practice and explores:
• why the issue is important
• what the research tells us
• the implications of the research
• considerations for policy and practice.
View all editions of Policy Brief and access the reference lists at rch.org.au/ccch/policybrief