The first 1000 days and a resilient life course

Reducing inequality of opportunity through an optimal start for every child

The first 1000 days of a child are crucial for the entire life course. The environment in which mother and child find themselves can have an impact on the health and well-being of the child, also later in life. Examples of environmental factors are the physical place of residence, a small social network, an unhealthy lifestyle and severe stress. Negative consequences of these factors increase the chance of poorer health at birth and can even be passed on to subsequent generations. In this way, inequality of opportunity is maintained intergenerationally.

To tackle intergenerational inequality of opportunity, we enlist social and medical support. Fragmented supply hinders timely care. Our goal is to give every child an optimal start and break cycles. We use integrated care, co-creation, education, and research. We promote reproductive and parenting appreciation, better leave arrangements, and childcare, while monitoring social impact of the activities.

Core team

Adja Waelput (Erasmus MC), Anne Boxem (Erasmus MC), Fernando Secomandi (TUD), Hilmar Bijma (Erasmus MC), Igna Bonfrer (EUR), Jan-Carel Diehl (TUD), Mijke Lambregtse-van den Berg, Romy Gaillard (Erasmus MC), Sushma Munshi (Erasmus MC), Tanja Houweling (Erasmus MC) and Vincent Jaddoe (Erasmus MC).

For more information, please contact:

Romy Gaillard

Erasmus MC

Healthy Start Ambition Lead, Pediatrician, Associate Professor Developmental Epidemiology

Fernando Secomandi

TU Delft

Healthy Start Ambition Co-Lead, Assistant Professor of Service Design for Emerging Technologies

Anne Boxem

Erasmus MC

Healthy Start PhD, Generation R Next

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