TY - JOUR JF - Global Health Action A1 - Norris, SA A1 - Daar, A A1 - Balasubramanian, D A1 - Byass, P A1 - Kimani-Murage, E A1 - Macnab, A A1 - Pauw, C A1 - Singhal, A A1 - Yajnik, C A1 - Akazili, J A1 - Levitt, N A1 - Maatoug, J A1 - Mkhwanazi, N A1 - Moore, SE A1 - Nyirenda, M A1 - Pulliam, JRC A1 - Rochat, T A1 - Said-Mohamed, R A1 - Seedat, S A1 - Sobngwi, E A1 - Tomlinson, M A1 - Toska, E A1 - van Schalkwyk, C UR - http://doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2017.1334985 SN - 1654-9880 IS - 1 N1 - © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. VL - 10 KW - Science & Technology KW - Life Sciences & Biomedicine KW - Public KW - Environmental & Occupational Health KW - Africa KW - developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) KW - non-communicable disease KW - life course epidemiology KW - policy KW - Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) KW - WEIGHT-GAIN KW - EARLY-LIFE KW - COUNTRIES KW - INCOME N2 - Data from many high- and low- or middle-income countries have linked exposures during key developmental periods (in particular pregnancy and infancy) to later health and disease. Africa faces substantial challenges with persisting infectious disease and now burgeoning non-communicable disease.This paper opens the debate to the value of strengthening the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) research focus in Africa to tackle critical public health challenges across the life-course. We argue that the application of DOHaD science in Africa to advance life-course prevention programmes can aid the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, and assist in improving health across generations. To increase DOHaD research and its application in Africa, we need to mobilise multisectoral partners, utilise existing data and expertise on the continent, and foster a new generation of young African scientists engrossed in DOHaD. ID - discovery1571823 PB - TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD TI - Understanding and acting on the developmental origins of health and disease in Africa would improve health across generations AV - public Y1 - 2017/07/18/ EP - 4 ER -