Why invest in early childhood?

Abstract

Brazil defined health as a universal right in the 1988 Federal Constitution, by creating the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) and, in 1990, the full protection of children by the Statute of the Child and Adolescent (ECA) (1). Since then, children's health has been showing significant improvement in the country. There has been a reduction in morbidity and mortality caused by immuno-preventable diseases and diarrhea, a decrease in malnutrition rates and a growing improvement in breastfeeding indicators (1). As a result, Brazil has achieved a decrease in infant mortality (under one year) and child mortality (under five years), meeting the 2015 Millennium Development Goal (MDG) three years in advance (1). Likewise other countries presenting child mortality reduction, aspects related to children's well-being and their full development tend to gain relevancy. Early childhood development (from zero to six years old in Brazil (1)) has gained increasing prominence thanks to the contribution of research in neuroscience and public policy. It is currently known that the intrauterine period and early years of life are essential for the physical, emotional and cognitive development of children. Along pregnancy and the first years of life (especially during the first thousand days), rapid brain development occurs, and also at this stage the neural circuits are formed and strengthened through stimulation and bonding relationships. Physical and emotional health, social skills, and cognitive-language skills that emerge in the early years are important prerequisites for success in school, and later in the workplace and community (2). Evidence indicates that investment in quality early childhood programs provides society with a high rate of return. In addition, early childhood investment is the best way to reduce inequalities, address poverty and build a social and environmentally sustainable society (3). Despite the evidence of early childhood importance,

Going home after a child’s cardiac surgery: education for safe care

“…Thus, the booklet provides guidance on this topic to help recognize children' needs and reactions. School activities and physical exercise are conditioned to children's abilities (11) ; the necessary encouragement that the family must provide so that children have the opportunity to develop in the motor, affective, social, communicative, perceptual and cognitive aspects is not left out of the booklet (31) .…”

Follow-up care for premature children: the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic

“…It is also a valuable opportunity to dialogue, be affectionate, and show mutual importance, promoting good child development ( 31 ) . Therefore, interventions during the children’s first years of life are essential, benefiting integral health ( 32 ) , minimizing vulnerabilities, and expanding inter-subjective experiences, based on the notion that experiences include interactions and attention is paid to new and different possibilities ( 15 ) .…”

Cultural adaptation of the Child Feeding Questionnaire for use in Brazil

“…To invest in children and defend their rights in early childhood, Brazilian food policies include health care agreements, with one of the commitments aimed at food, the focus of this investigation [1,2]. The Strategic Axis II -Breastfeeding and Complementary Healthy Eating argues for a high standard of child health through timely nutrition and the acquisition of foods that are safe and have adequate nutrients [2].…”

“…The offer of appropriate foods that are beneficial to the growth and development of Brazilian children, together with the scientific evidence on the importance of promoting healthy lifestyle habits, starting with the introduction of food and, also, due to the lack of Brazilian instruments validated to find out how much parents know about their children's healthy eating, this study aims to culturally adapt the CFQ for use in Brazil [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11].…”