The First 2000 Days which outlines the importance of the first 2000 days in a child’s life (from conception to age 5) and what action people within the NSW health system need to take to ensure that all children have the best possible start in life.
The first 2000 days is a critical time for physical, cognitive, social and emotional health. What happens in the first 2000 days of life has been shown to have an impact throughout life. For example, early life experiences are: • strongly predictive of how a child will learn in primary school • a predictor of school performance, adolescent pregnancy and involvement with the criminal justice system in the adolescent years • linked to increased risk of drug and alcohol misuse and increased risk of antisocial and violent behaviour • related to obesity, elevated blood pressure and depression in 20-40 year olds • predictive of coronary heart disease and diabetes in 40-60 year olds • related to premature ageing and memory loss in older age groups.
We now know the in utero experience of a baby followed by a child’s early life experience predicts their chances of succeeding at school, of doing well in life and of having chronic diseases as an adult