Date: 
Friday, November 17, 2023
Time: 
11:00 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. (EST.)
Description: 

PAHO invites you to this webinar designed to foster a collective comprehension of child and adolescent health and development, grounded in contemporary research, data, and available opportunities. Its primary focus is to underscore the criticality of adopting a life course approach to shape health trajectories during the first 20 years of life.

An expanded perspective on child health and development is presented in the Lancet Series, "Optimizing Child and Adolescent Health and Development." The series builds upon earlier efforts focused on child survival and incorporates a more comprehensive range of concerns from preconception to adolescence, in addition to mental health, non-communicable diseases, injuries, trauma, disabilities, and sexual and reproductive rights.

This series introduces a life-course approach to health and human development. It is based on evidence-based interventions and delivery strategies to support health and human development from conception until adulthood. It presents a conceptual framework of risk factors and opportunities for intervention throughout the life span. 

This webinar endeavors to engage and enlighten a diverse audience, including ministries of health from member states, stakeholders, regional advisors, health professionals, researchers, community advocates, and other relevant stakeholders. By emphasizing the imperative of a life course approach, the event seeks to introduce actionable insights and strategies to integrate this approach into primary healthcare for the first two decades of an individual's life.

Objective(s) of the meeting: 
  1. Disseminate and discuss the findings and recommendations presented in the 2022 Lancet Series, focusing on optimizing child and adolescent health and development.
  2. To emphasize the significance of adopting a life course approach in shaping health trajectories during the critical first 20 years of life, aiming for improved health outcomes and overall well-being.
  3. To identify and discuss opportunities for integrating the life course approach into primary healthcare systems, ensuring comprehensive and holistic care for children and adolescents.
  4. Present a comprehensive overview of evidence-based interventions and effective delivery strategies to support health and human development from preconception to 20 years of age.
  5. Discuss innovative structural changes required in health and social systems to ensure high-quality services focusing on the needs of children and adolescents.
  6. Explore how to optimize child and adolescent health and development, particularly in the post-pandemic world, integrating insights from the Lancet Series and regional perspectives from the Region of the Americas.
Keywords: 
Child Health, Adolescent Health, Health and Development, Healthy Life Course
Presentations and reference materials: