According to Oregon Health & Science University’s description on origin of health development (n.d.), “David Barker, M.D., Ph.D., F.R.S., in 1989, first reported the relationship between birth weight and death rates from coronary heart disease in both men and women in Hertfordshire, UK.” The resulted research proved that amongst adults with a birth weight ranging between 5 to 9 pounds, more adults of men and women die of chronic disease (i.e. heath disease) when they were born on the least range than on the high range. However, there is a side effect of being born above the range threshold, which David’s research indicated higher risk for heart disease. The data introduced a new field that is currently viewed as Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHAD). The improvements of child health consist of communitywide analysis of expanding and continual research to find better ways of handling health cases, such as chronic asthma. According to MedlinePlus (n.d.), a United States Library of Medicine for Health Information and Improvement, the chronic disease of asthma affects tubes of human airways when carrying air in and out of lungs. Asthma becomes more vulnerable and chronic to children. This is because even the above said article by Medline Plus (n.d.) stated that in the United States, about 20 million people have asthma and nearly 9 million of them are children. The reason is also because children have slighter air routes where air goes in and out than adults, which makes asthma particularly severe for them in terms of suffering from wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and trouble breathing. Additional improvement plan has to do with the support of healthy premature childhood growth, yielding long-term benefit on population health for even asthma. BrightStars (n.d.), as an educational resource entity and child educator for early-life improvement mentioned and supported the need to a lingering provision of high quality early care, educational and school-age programs for communities. Indeed! The implementation of early childhood programs in kindergartens and elementary schools to support and sustain early childhood development are the way forward for long term benefits on population health.
BrightStars(n.d.) Quality Improvement Resources. Retrieved June 25, 2015 from http://www.brightstars.org/educators/quality-improvement-resources
MedlinePlus (n.d.) Asthma in Children. Retrieved June 25, 2015 from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/asthmainchildren.html
Oregon Health & Science University(n.d.) A Very Brief Description of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease. Retrieved June 25, 2015 from http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/about/news_events/news/2011/08-29-dohad/history.cfm
