Glossary Of Life Course Terms.pdf

The content was developed by an interdisciplinary working group comprised of representatives of MCHB funded leadership training programs in the areas of Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities, Pediatric Pulmonary Care, Nutrition, Public Health, Adolescent Health, AUCD, and representatives from MCHB.

A glossary of life course terms includes:
Critical or Sensitive Periods: specific periods of development when adverse events have the greatest impact,
Cumulative Impact of Stress: the impact of multiple stresses over time,
Health Development: the interactive process of developing health over a lifetime,
Health Disparities: avoidable differences in health among groups with different social and economic advantages,
Health Equity: the study of differences in health and healthcare across populations,
Health Trajectory: health development over a lifetime impacted by protective and risk factors,
Life Course Model: a model explaining how social, environmental, and health equity factors affect health development,
Life Course Perspective: a multidisciplinary approach to understanding individual health,
Life Cycle: the regular series of life stages,
Life Span: the length of time a species or individual can live,
Life Stage: a stage or phase in life,
Population Health: the health outcome of a group of individuals,
Protective Factors: factors improving health and contributing to healthy development,
Risk Factors: factors diminishing health and making it harder to reach full potential,
Social Determinants of Health: a model proposing that health status is determined by the physical and social environment and distribution of resources.