Key messages
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Exposure to biological and psychosocial risks affects the developing brain and compromises the development of children
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Inequalities in child development begin prenatally and in the first years of life
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With cumulative exposure to developmental risks, disparities widen and trajectories become more firmly established
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Reducing inequalities requires early integrated interventions that target the many risks to which children in a particular setting are exposed
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The most effective and cost-efficient time to prevent inequalities is early in life before trajectories have been firmly established
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Action or lack of action will have lifetime consequences for adult functioning, for the care of the next generation, and for the wellbeing of societies