A Life Course Approach to Chronic Disease Epidemiology

Abstract The field of life course epidemiology has expanded rapidly since this book was first published. The purpose of this field is to study how biological and social factors during gestation, childhood, adolescence, and earlier adult life independently, cumulatively, and interactively influence later life health and disease. Contributors to this edition capture the excitement of the developing field and assess the latest evidence regarding sources of risk to health across the life course and across generations. The chapters on life course influences on cardiovascular disease, diabetes, blood pressure, respiratory disease, and cancer have been updated and extended. New chapters on life course influences on…