Nutrition is the single greatest environmental influence on babies in the womb and during infancy, and it remains essential throughout the first years of life. Prenatal malnutrition, for example, has been linked to later adverse health and cognitive outcomes. Likewise, malnutrition in infancy and early childhood is a key risk factor for cognitive deficits, lower academic achievement, and behavior problems.
The health and well-being of children, and infants especially, are in large part determined by whether or not the child is receiving proper nutrition. The nutritional needs of babies are much different than those of adults, but they are fairly easy for informed parents to meet. For a baby, breast milk has all the necessary vitamins and minerals. Infant formulas imitate breast milk.
A recent national survey of food insecurity across the U.S. identifies the Memphis metropolitan area as the food insecurity capital of the nation.1 This should not come as a complete surprise. One study2 finds that food insecurity is typically higher
Neural tube defects (NTDs) are among the most common congenital anomalies in the United States, second only in frequency to congenital heart defects. Efforts to reduce the prevalence of these devastating abnormalities demonstrates the effectiveness of the translation of basic science and population research to health care practices, and from practice to public policy.
