By transforming the paradigm for how health develops, a life-course approach provides a strong public policy rationale for health systemtransformation. It dem- onstrates how disadvantage during childhood diminishes future prospects by re- ducing a child’s health potential, which in turn directly harms educational out- comes and future social competence and accelerates the acquisition and severity of health problems in later years. 9 This approach emphasizes investments focused on prevention, health promotion, and improving the conditions of children’s lives. Despite growing acceptance of the life-course model of health development, . children’s health care policy has to date been largely unaffected by these empiri- cally based conceptual changes
