Windows of opportunity for setting the critical path for healthy growth

Abstract

Stunting, although decreasing, remains a public health challenge in the developing world. Interventions aimed at reducing the prevalence of stunting should be cognizant of the current shift of malnutrition towards an increase in overweight. Altogether, the findings of the studies reported in this issue highlight the importance of optimal breast-feeding on the prevention of stunting and the early development of healthy eating habits. The findings further accentuate that a mother's dietary pattern and nutritional status, both pre- and post-conception and later in the early life of the offspring, are key determinants of healthy child growth. Recognizing that maternal, fetal and newborn outcomes cannot be disconnected from each other and that the food environment underpins what households eat, how wide should the critical window of opportunity be set? Should there be sets of critical windows of opportunity? Or, perhaps there should be a shift back to a more comprehensive lifecycle approach where nutrition interventions are designed for every stage in life? The answers to these questions may not be evident, but they may be the key for setting the critical path towards healthy growth.