About the Author: Krysten Carrera is a Presidential Management Fellow at the National Cancer Institute. She presently serves in the Department of State’s Bureau of International Organization Affairs (IO).

If you knew that your child’s lifestyle would greatly impact his or her health as an adult, would you make a change?

Later this month, the United Nations will draw together health and policy leaders from around the world for a high-level meeting on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Part of the meeting will emphasize the importance of early disease origin, which requires considerable study and surveillance, to address the global NCD issue. By obtaining an accurate, wide range of data from a diverse population, health professionals and member states will be able to address public health threats more effectively through country-specific prevention strategies related to this health topic, saving economies around the world billions of dollars from lost productivity due to health issues.

Research suggests that environmental factors… more »