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Maternal and Child Health Journal
Published in: Maternal and Child Health Journal 2/2014

Open Access 01-02-2014

Lifecourse Health Development: Past, Present and Future

Authors: Neal Halfon, Kandyce Larson, Michael Lu, Ericka Tullis, Shirley Russ

Published in: Maternal and Child Health Journal | Issue 2/2014

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Abstract

During the latter half of the twentieth century, an explosion of research elucidated a growing number of causes of disease and contributors to health. Biopsychosocial models that accounted for the wide range of factors influencing health began to replace outmoded and overly simplified biomedical models of disease causation. More recently, models of lifecourse health development (LCHD) have synthesized research from biological, behavioral and social science disciplines, defined health development as a dynamic process that begins before conception and continues throughout the lifespan, and paved the way for the creation of novel strategies aimed at optimization of individual and population health trajectories. As rapid advances in epigenetics and biological systems research continue to inform and refine LCHD models, our healthcare delivery system has struggled to keep pace, and the gulf between knowledge and practice has widened. This paper attempts to chart the evolution of the LCHD framework, and illustrate its potential to transform how the MCH system addresses social, psychological, biological, and genetic influences on health, eliminates health disparities, reduces chronic illness, and contains healthcare costs. The LCHD approach can serve to highlight the foundational importance of MCH, moving it from the margins of national debate to the forefront of healthcare reform efforts. The paper concludes with suggestions for innovations that could accelerate the translation of health development principles into MCH practice.
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Metadata
Title
Lifecourse Health Development: Past, Present and Future
Authors
Neal Halfon
Kandyce Larson
Michael Lu
Ericka Tullis
Shirley Russ
Publication date
01-02-2014
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Maternal and Child Health Journal / Issue 2/2014
Print ISSN: 1092-7875
Electronic ISSN: 1573-6628
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-013-1346-2

Other articles of this Issue 2/2014

Maternal and Child Health Journal 2/2014 Go to the issue

OriginalPaper

Wisconsin’s Lifecourse Initiative for Healthy Families: Application of the Maternal and Child Health Life Course Perspective Through a Regional Funding Initiative

OriginalPaper

Life Course Perspective: Evidence for the Role of Nutrition

OriginalPaper

Translating Life Course Theory to Clinical Practice to Address Health Disparities

OriginalPaper

A Lifecourse Approach to Health Development: Implications for the Maternal and Child Health Research Agenda

OriginalPaper

Turning the Ship: Making the Shift to a Life-Course Framework

EditorialNotes

Bringing the MCH Life Course Perspective to Life