Moving chronic disease prevention and control upstream to early life

YANG Fan; MAO Meng

doi:10.11852/zgetbjzz2026-0754

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Chinese Journal of Child Health Care ›› 2026, Vol. 34 ›› Issue (10) : 1069-1072. DOI: 10.11852/zgetbjzz2026-0754

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Moving chronic disease prevention and control upstream to early life

YANG Fan, MAO Meng

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Abstract

With socioeconomic development and changes in disease patterns, chronic noncommunicable diseases, including obesity, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, and certain cancers, have become major public health threats to the population in China. Traditional strategies for chronic disease prevention and control have primarily focused on behavioral interventions and risk-factor management during adulthood. However, growing evidence indicates that the origins of chronic diseases can be traced back to early life and even the fetal period. It further proposes establishing a full-chain early prevention strategy system covering the period from pregnancy, infancy, and early childhood, so as to promote the transition of child health care in China toward a health-promotion-centered model.

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chronic disease prevention / early life / Developmental Origins of Health and Disease / child health care

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YANG Fan, MAO Meng. Moving chronic disease prevention and control upstream to early life[J]. Chinese Journal of Child Health Care. 2026, 34(10): 1069-1072 https://doi.org/10.11852/zgetbjzz2026-0754

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