Prioritising Early Years Health, invite-only two day policy workshop

This is an invite-only two day policy workshop. If you would like more information, please contact international@acmedsci.ac.uk.

The early years (zero to five years) of a child’s life impact the health of an individual across their whole lifetime. Poor health in the early years has been linked to poor health in adulthood, which can lead to a cycle of health decline that can be transferred across generations.

Ensuring good health in the early years is an opportunity to improve the overall health of the whole population. To make child health a policy priority, it must be considered holistically. This means accounting for the short- and long-term benefits and not fall prey to changing political priorities. 

The Academy of Medical Sciences has recently conducted a project examining how to prioritise early childhood to promote the nation’s health, published in February 2024. 

The report explores how the UK Government can prioritise improving health and reducing inequalities in the first five years of life to enhance the health and economic prosperity of the UK.

Building on this study, this international policy workshop brings together multiple high-income countries to discuss how to make early years child health and wellbeing a domestic policy priority. We will bring together views from around the world to examine case studies from each country. We will also look at the similarities and differences between countries so we can learn from each other and identify opportunities to work together. We aim to identify the research and policy gaps and draw together a set of next steps for policymakers, funders and researchers to help address these.