A life course approach to health and well-being: call for papers

Abstract

2 p.Health and well-being are shaped by interacting biological, social and environmental determinants acting across the lifespan and between generations, requiring integrated approaches that extend beyond disease-focused care. This editorial introduces a call for papers on applying a life course approach to health and well-being, grounded in the World Health Organization framework for implementation in policy and practice. The article outlines key principles of the life course approach, including person-centred care, health equity, early action, evidence-based interventions and coordinated action across sectors and life stages. It highlights how structural and intermediary determinants influence health trajectories and notes that the continued predominance of disease-focused and vertically organized programmes limits integration across life stages. The discussion emphasizes the need to reorient health systems through integrated services, financing and governance mechanisms, including embedding life course approaches within primary health care and universal health coverage benefit packages. The call invites submissions addressing implementation strategies, evaluation methods and applications across diverse settings, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, and encourages contributions that explore continuity of care, population-based and targeted interventions, and the use of longitudinal data to inform policy and practice.286286