From Preconception Care to the First Day of School: Transforming the Health of New Families With Lifestyle Medicine

Abstract

Lifestyle medicine holds great promise to transform health during the period from preconception to early childhood. Genetic, epigenetic, nutritional, and environmental factors have lifetime impact on the newborn and family. Little is known about the full potential of lifestyle medicine to improve maternal, child, and family health. Additionally, health care providers face limits in time and may have gaps in knowledge, that preclude discussion of the impact lifestyle medicine can the mother, newborn, and family. Greater understanding of the potential impact of lifestyle medicine provides opportunities to identify current deficiencies in care and areas for improvement and highlights the need for further research. This article reviews current evidence supporting the 6 pillars of lifestyle medicine: nutrition, physical activity, sleep, avoiding risky substance use, stress management and social connectedness as applied to maternal child care from preconception to early childhood, examines the current state of practice, and identifies opportunities for both practice change and further research. Rather than view each component of care in isolation, viewing care as a continuum from preconception to childhood can best establish healthy habits and optimize outcomes for the entire family.

The Longevity Protein Klotho: A Promising Tool to Monitor Lifestyle Improvements

“…In lifestyle medicine, this pillar refers to toxic substances that can be consumed by a person [6]. Studies on substances such as tobacco, alcohol, and drugs are limited and contradictory.…”

“…This also helps delay the onset of geriatric syndrome (frailty, cognitive decline, and reduced performance in the activities on the daily living scale) [5]. This is why a new discipline of medicine has emerged to specifically address this issue: lifestyle medicine [6]. The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) promotes a science-based approach that integrates lifestyle factors to prevent and treat chronic conditions.…”

“…The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) promotes a science-based approach that integrates lifestyle factors to prevent and treat chronic conditions. There are six pillars of lifestyle medicine: nutrition, physical activity, stress management, restorative sleep, social connection, and avoidance of risky substances [6]. The goal of this discipline is not only to prolong the lifespan but to increase the healthspan by reducing the morbidity span [7].…”

Empowering Iraqi Female Students Toward Healthier Preconception Behaviors

“…Of the available health belief models, the Expanded Health Belief Model (EHBM) has emerged as a comprehensive framework that combines individual perceptions, cues to action, and self-efficacy as predictors of health-related behaviors (Tosh et al, 2023). The Health Belief Model (HBM), which forms the foundation of the EHBM, asserts that people will be more likely to take preventive measures if they perceive the health risk to be severe, they believe that the health risk is susceptible to certain individuals and they are convinced that preventive actions will benefit them (McHugh et al, 2020;Kader & Faraj, 2023). The EHBM contributes to the aforementioned factors by incorporating other factors such as self-efficacy, modifying factors, and cues to action making the theoretical foundation of health interventions very strong (Niama & Naji, 2022).…”

Understanding Preconception Women’s Needs and Preferences for Digital Health Resources: Qualitative Study

“…Health behaviors in relation to nutrition, physical activity, and weight management can improve preconception health, prevent chronic disease across the life span [6][7][8], and assist with managing existing health conditions [9]. Positive health behaviors are often observed by others and can have a positive influence on children, families, and those in the broader community [10].…”