DOHaD Society of Australia and New Zealand

The DOHaD Society of Australia and New Zealand (Developmental Origins of Health and Disease) is an initiative directly aligned with the global agenda to combat the devastation of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The integrated cross-disciplinary approach will build on the inextricable link between maternal, perinatal and early childhood factors and the risk of developing NCDs in later life.

The mandate is for ‘disease prevention’ as the ultimate approach to reducing the burden of NCDs. Early life is a critical time of risk, but also a critical time of opportunity for promotion of health and prevention of future disease. The greatest potential for success lies in early intervention and there is already substantial evidence that initiatives to promote a ‘healthy start to life’ can reduce the risk of both early and later NCDs with wide social and economic benefits.

Common risk factors mean common solutions. All modern diseases are associated with modern lifestyle changes, suggesting common risk factors for many NCDs. These risks include unhealthy dietary patterns, reduced physical activity, altered patterns of microbial exposure, tobacco smoking, harmful use of alcohol, and other environmental pollutants. A coordinated interdisciplinary approach is imperative to mitigate the growing burden of a broad range of modern diseases, and to improve health in the new millennium.