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The First Five Are Key

How you care for your child in the first five years of life has more to do with how he or she grows than the genetic code you give them at birth.

That’s according to a new study by researchers at the World Health Organization (WHO), who found that nutrition, feeding practices, environment and access to quality health care were more influential in setting a child’s growth pattern than genetics or ethnicity. Mothers who did not smoke and who breast-fed their children promoted the healthiest growth, the researchers found.

The WHO report also established new guidelines and milestones for healthy childhood development, emphasizing that no matter where in the world a child is born, if given proper nutrition and health care, he or she can reach the same range of height and weight as any other child in the world typical for that age. The study tracked 8,000 children in Brazil, Ghana, India, Norway, Oman and the United States from birth to age five.

In addition to appropriate height and weight standards, the report establishes key motor development milestones for activities such as sitting, standing and walking.  The standards were designed to help parents, health professionals and other caregivers determine if children are growing appropriately.

To read more about the World Health Organization’s research and new growth standards, click here.

To read more about this and other environmental health issues, go to: www.environmentalhealthnews.org, www.ourstolenfuture.org, or www.healthandenvironment.org