• Cesar G Victora, Fernando P Hartwig, Luis P Vidaletti, Reynaldo Martorell, Clive Osmond, Linda M Richter, Aryeh D Stein, BarrosAluisio J DAJDInternational Center for Equity in Health, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil., Linda S Adair, Fernando C Barros, Santosh K Bhargava, Bernardo L Horta, Maria F Kroker-Lobos, Nanette R Lee, MenezesAna Maria BAMBPostgraduate Program in Epidemiology, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil., Joseph Murray, Shane A Norris, Harshpal S Sachdev, Alan Stein, Jithin S Varghese, Zulfiqar A Bhutta, and Robert E Black.
• International Center for Equity in Health, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil. Electronic address: cvictora@gmail.com.
• Lancet. 2022 Apr 30; 399 (10336): 174117521741-1752.

AbstractThe survival and nutrition of children and, to a lesser extent, adolescents have improved substantially in the past two decades. Improvements have been linked to the delivery of effective biomedical, behavioural, and environmental interventions; however, large disparities exist between and within countries. Using data from 95 national surveys in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), we analyse how strongly the health, nutrition, and cognitive development of children and adolescents are related to early-life poverty. Additionally, using data from six large, long-running birth cohorts in LMICs, we show how early-life poverty can have a lasting effect on health and human capital throughout the life course. We emphasise the importance of implementing multisectoral anti-poverty policies and programmes to complement specific health and nutrition interventions delivered at an individual level, particularly at a time when COVID-19 continues to disrupt economic, health, and educational gains achieved in the recent past.Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

9 keywords...

hide…