A scientific consensus is emerging that the origins of adult disease are often found among
developmental and biological disruptions occurring during the early years of life. These …

The ongoing epidemic of chronic diseases involves a spectrum of clinical entities now
understood to represent late manifestations of progressive metabolic dysfunction initiated in …

Advances in stress physiology and molecular dynamics can illuminate population health
inequality. The “weathering” hypothesis posits that socially structured, repeated stress …

In this article we argue for the utility of the life-course perspective as a tool for understanding
and addressing health disparities across socioeconomic and racial or ethnic groups …

Reducing health disparities requires an understanding of the mechanisms that generate
disparities. Life course approaches to health disparities leverage theories that explain how …

Advances in science are fundamentally changing the way we understand how inextricable
interactions among genetic predispositions, physical and social environments, and …

Since its inception in 1962, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
(NICHD) has dedicated its research to understanding the dynamic biological, behavioral …

Children are the foundation of the United States, and supporting them is a key component of
building a successful future. However, millions of children face health inequities that …

Inequalities in health outcomes impose substantial human and economic costs on all
societies—and the relation between early adversity and lifelong well-being presents a rich …

This Technical Report was retired November 2021. Advances in fields of inquiry as diverse
as neuroscience, molecular biology, genomics, developmental psychology, epidemiology …