The Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative (HeLTI) is an international consortium formed as a ten-year initiative funded jointly by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Department of Biotechnology (India), Medical Research Council (South Africa) and the National Natural Science Foundation (China), and in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) to address the increasing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) around the world.
HeLTI uses the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) approach, which is based on the notion that environmental factors interact with genes during conception, fetal life, infancy and early childhood, and that this programming affects the individual’s health later in life. Harmonized studies are implemented in four countries to test if an integrated continuum of care intervention starting pre-conception and continued across the pregnancy, infancy and childhood phases will reduce childhood adiposity, impact maternal health and ultimately improve child development.
In each of these countries, longitudinal multi-sectoral lifestyle interventions will be initiated during the preconception phase and then tailored to respond to the specific needs of the family during pregnancy, infancy and early childhood. Time sensitive interventions will aim, amongst others, at promoting healthy pre-pregnancy behaviors, optimizing maternal health, preventing maternal depression, enhancing home environment, supporting exclusive breastfeeding, encouraging child health behaviors, and promoting nurturing parental care. Recognizing the context and specificities, including the diversity of lifestyle patterns across populations, the four studies are designed to meet the respective needs of the local population but yet are prospectively harmonized through the development of common research, measurements, and data collection protocols to allow comparative evaluation.
Parental anxiety and depression can impact the quality of infant and child care, which is integral to improving cognitive function and other health outcomes later in life. Children who receive a low quality of care are more sensitive to the effects of stress and display more behavioral problems. These poor outcomes are especially pronounced in children who have a genetic predisposition to environmental influence. The early environment can also impact brain structure. Early deprivation (neglect, maltreatment, abuse, etc.) can lead to changes in the shape and volume of various brain structures in children and adults. Regions that are involved in learning and memory, as well as communication between different parts of the brain are particularly sensitive.