Dr Kolokotroni is a UK trained pediatrician and a member of the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health, UK. She lives and works in Cyprus. She is Assistant Professor at the school of Health Sciences at the Cyprus University of Technology, Cyprus. Her research interests are in the area of early life determinants of health and specifically the role of early life exposures in the development of obesity and other chronic diseases. She is a certified lactation consultant and actively involved in breastfeeding promotion through her work as president and founding member of the Cyprus Breastfeeding Association. Over the past 3 years she has also been involved in the development of Baby Buddy Forward, an online educational platform for parents promoting a healthy start in life. She has recently completed the EMLO certificate in Lifestyle Medicine.

ABSTRACT

Lifestyle Before Life: the role of lifestyle during the preconception period on the health of the mother and child

Prof. Dr. Ourania Kolokotroni, MRCPCH, Pediatrician, Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol (Cyprus)

Increasing evidence suggests that most preventable adults’ deaths from non-communicable diseases are linked to risk factors that start during critical periods in early life like pregnancy, infancy, and childhood. More recently, a growing number of studies is focusing on preconception health as an important time frame for reducing adverse health events in mother and child. This presentation will look at existing evidence on the effect of preconception exposures on health outcomes for the mother and child. It will also present the challenges of studying preconception health, gaps in knowledge and areas for future research.